Begun By Blood
by Ojex XIII
Summary: Seven Sins sequel. The Seven Deadly Sins now rule the earth, the monk have been betrayed by one of their own, and they have been scattered around the world. can they regroup and form an army before the year is over? pairings are the same as Seven Sins.
1. Prologue

(a/n) here it is, the third and final instalment of the Fifth Dragon/Seven Sins/Begun By Blood trilogy. for those of you who havent read The Fifth Dragon or Seven Sins I suggest you at least read Seven Sins before you do this, as you wont understand it at all. The Fifth Dragon, on the other hand, isn't as important to this. So, with no further delay, I give you the prologue.

Begun By Blood

Prologue

Rush silently followed behind the Sin of Pride, the ancient being wearing a blindfold that he now called his lord and master. The corridors the two were trekking through were dark, cold, and damp. In the small amount of light Rush could see nothing but bricks and stones on the walls. No paintings, no torches or lights, not even a door. Most people would gone a bit crazy in this kind of darkness, but he, of all people, had no right to reject the darkness, both outside of him and within. He had abandoned his friends, joined Pride and his troop of Sins, and become the one thing he hated most in this world… Envy. If anyone deserved to spend the rest of their life in this labyrinth of long corridors and darkness it was him…

And he didn't care.

"Where are we going?" the African teenager finally asked as he and Pride turned another corner.

"The place that will ultimately turn you into the Sin of Envy." Pride explained.

"Translation?"

"Every Sin, excluding myself, must pay retribution to have the powers of their Sin bestowed upon them. Your predecessor went to this place as did the other Sins… and I paid with my own flesh to create this place." He paused and touched his fingers to his blindfold where his eyes would be. "Fortunately for you, your payment mustn't be so pricy."

"Meaning?"

"While I paid with flesh you must merely pay in blood." Rush eyed him questioningly before he continued. "A singly drop of your blood must drop into 'The Pit' before you can truly become the Sin of Envy."

Rush just shrugged and looked away. For all he cared every drop of blood he had could be spilled into this pit that Pride spoke of. He didn't deserve to live after what he'd done.

"Here we are." Pride said as they approached a large pair of double doors, the door itself painted blood red and golden swirled painted all over it. Pride simply pointed his open palm to the doors and they slowly creaked open revealing a clip hanging over a large crater in solid rock. An eerie, neon green glow coming from the pit illuminated the entire room. "Take a look." Pride ordered. Rush did as ordered and looked over the edge of the cliff. Far below where he and Pride stood was what looked like a lake with glowing green water. In the center of the lake was a single stone pillar with seven orbs of light and energy floating around it. Six of the seven orbs glowed red and flowed swiftly around the pillar, but one gave off an aura darker than the tunnels behind them and didn't move at all. "Hold your hand over the edge." Pride ordered. Pride walked over and grabbed him by the wrist and then manifested a simply knife in his free hand. Pride grabbed the blade from the air above his and swiftly moved it to Rush's hand, lightly pressing the sharp side to his palm. "With this tribute to the Pit I here by bestow the title of the Sin of Envy upon you." And with that he pressed the blade harder to Rush's hand and slashed it across his palm. Rush flinched but did not move. He only looked at the blood covered knife the Pride held and then to his hand. By some feet of magic the knife hadn't left any mark at all, not the gash he'd expected nor a simply cut.

Pride took one last look at the knife with Rush's blood on it and then tossed it away, over the edge of the cliff and into the green waters below. The knife melted away before even touching the water and only the blood slashed into it. Instantly the black orb of light around the pillar sprang to life and turned red, now floating around the pillar with the others.

Pride grinned devilishly and the seven pointed star appeared on the cloth on Rush's shirt. But then a second symbol he hadn't expected appeared on the boy's forehead. It was the outline of a diamond with its top cut off and a dot in the center and two lines jetting off of the top two sides of the diamond. It was the Seal of Thanatos.

Pride grinned again. "It all begins with a drop of blood."


	2. Rome and Sahara

(a/n) here it is, technically not the first but I consider it the first chapter of Begun By Blood. and let me tell ya, this is only the first chapter and it will already raise a lot of questions.

Part 1: The Reunion

Chapter 1: Rome and Sahara

Rai carefully eyed the various fruits that the street vender was selling. All around him was a throng of people, all of whom were also looking through various booths and stands buying various goods and foods. Normally all of these people would've been at a grocery store or something, but dramatic changes had happened since the Seven Deadly Sins had conquered the world only a week earlier. All ready Europe, or at least the city he was in at the time, Rome, had reverted to a very medieval place. Rai was currently in a bazaar, a traditional market place, but he wasn't planning on buying anything that day. His friends would take care of the food soon enough.

"How much for a bag of apples?" Rai asked as he scratched the back of his neck just above the green vest he wore. He wore no shirt underneath his vest and never had it zipped up. He also wore a pair of baggy blue jeans with many pockets on the legs.

"'Bout five silver pieces." The vender, a dark skinned and muscular man, answered.

"You're kidding?" Rai asked, appalled.

The vender shook his head. "Ever since that Gluttony character took over Europe I'm lucky to sell a few pieces of fruit a day. That colossal bastard only cares about is filling his own belly and entertaining himself."

"I hear ya." Rai said, "Living with the constant fear of being dragged to the newly revived coliseum and dying just so he can be entertaining makes me just want to leave Rome, if I could."

"Same here kid, but I can't. Family an' all that."

Rai nodded. "Well, I don't have the money, so I can't buy anything. Maybe tomorrow." He then walked off, stuffing his hands in his pockets and whistling as he walked away.

Rai vanished from the vender's sight as he rounded a corner into an ally. It was then that the real action began. Another boy about his age was walking up to the fruit stand. This boy had short, spiky black hair and wore a black sweater, blue jeans, and sunglasses. The boy had a plastic bag in his hand, completely empty. He stood in front of the stand for a moment or two and then began grabbing various fruits from it and stuffing them into his bag. Apples, pears, oranges, and various others; he was stocking up big time and this made the vender suspicious, considering so few people could pay anymore. "How you planning to pay for all them?" he asked.

The boy grinned and chuckled, lowering his sunglasses slightly to get a better look at the vender. "I don't." he said nonchalantly. The boy then took off running, weaving through the throng of people easily and leaving the venders sight quickly. The vender didn't chase after him though. He'd rather let people eat then make money for himself, just as many others did anymore. "Hope to god someone gets ride of these damned Sins soon. Don't think many of us could take it much longer." He said, touching his fingers to his forehead, then his mid chest, followed by his left breast and then his right, the traditional catholic prayer.

Rai waited silently in the ally way he'd disappeared into, waiting for his friend to return with the goods. He looked up as he heard footsteps coming towards him. "Took you long enough." He said. "What took you so long, Jet?"

"I took the casual approach this time." Jet answered. "Let's me get more stuff with less of a hassle." He paused as he reached into the bag and threw a pear to Rai. "Nice guy though. Didn't even chase after me."

"Who does?" Rai asked, catching the pear and taking a bite out of it. "Everyone just wants everyone else to have a decent meal anymore."

"Like you remember." Jet laughed as they started walking further down the ally. "If I recall you can't remember a thing before my sister and I found you a week ago."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me." Rai chuckled, elbowing Jet in the chest. "Now let's get back to the shack before Jess gets mad again. You she doesn't like us breaking the curfew Gluttony set up for Europe."

"And since when are you one to follow the rules?" Jet snickered.

"Gee, I don't remember."

THE SHACK

Jess yawned as she turned the page in her book and pushed some of her long blond hair out of her eyes. It had been quite a few hours since Rai and her brother, Jet had left to get food for the day. Since it was almost dusk she'd already bathed in the nearby river and was in the brown bathrobe she usually slept in.

Jess sighed and she placed her book mark in between the pages and closed her book, placing it on top of a small pile on the floor next to her. She then took a look around the small shack she, her brother and Rai had lived in for the last week or so. It was small and made entirely of old two-by-fours, the floor was covered by various shag rugs and two mats covered by blankets (all of which were stolen) where Rai and jet slept. There were also two doors, one leading outside to the forest and the other leading to her own private room which also had stolen rugs and blankets. The only windows, however, were a few small holes in the walls where Jet could stick the barrels of a couple shot guns he'd stolen in case they were ever discovered by Gluttony's forces. There was no furniture at all, only a small gas stove in the middle for cooking the occasional steak the boys brought home.

Jess turned her attention to the door as it swung open and the boys walked in, dropping a bag of fruit on the floor, walking over and sitting down next to her. "Back on time for once… that's a first." She said.

"What, you think we wouldn't get it after a week?" Rai asked sarcastically.

"Still can't remember anything, I take it?" Jess asked.

"Not a thing." Rai answered.

"So, what did you get this time?" Jess asked, pointing to the bag.

"Fruit." Her brother answered. "Apples, pears, and oranges mostly. I think I threw a few bananas in there too."

Rai suddenly got up and started for the door. "Speaking of which I think that pear from earlier just worked its way through my system. I'll be back in a few." He said before walking out the door and closing it behind him.

A few minutes after he'd finished his business Rai started his short trek back to the shack. It took him a bit long than usual, however. Not because he got lost or that it was dark out now, but because he just wanted some time to collect his thoughts. Sure, he didn't remember anything about his life before a week ago when he'd been found in this very forest by Jet and Jess, but he hadn't told them about the dreams he had every night. Dreams of fighting, magic, people who seemed oddly familiar but he couldn't recognize. They almost seemed like memories to him, but he couldn't be sure. One girl in particular appeared quite frequently in his dreams, an Asian girl with jet black hair and a certain flair about her. He didn't know who she was; all he knew was that she was extremely attractive. "More like the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He muttered to himself.

"You know she's waiting for you."

Rai swung around to find a man leaning against a tree. He had armor covering his body, traditional armor like a medieval knight only more form fitting and the iron sheets were spread apart more, probably making it easier to move in. "Who the hell are you?" Rai demanded.

"The girl in your dreams, she's waiting for you. And she'll keep waiting until you find her again." the armored man said, walking closer to Rai.

Rai backed away slowly, glaring at the man curiously. "You know something about me… about my past… tell me!"

"You want to know about who you are?" the armored man asked. "Then head to China, the Xiaolin Temple. You'll find the answers you're looking for there… and you'll get to see Kimiko in person again."

When the armored man mentioned this name something flashed into Rai's head, a memory from what he could tell. He was lying in a bed and he was seriously injured. The girl from his dreams, Kimiko the armored man called her, was sitting in the chair next to his bed. They were just talking and then, out of nowhere, Kimiko leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

Rai flashed back to reality and glanced around after coming out of his daze. "Kimiko… how could I have forgotten about her?"

"Everyone forgets sometimes, kid." The armored man said.

Rai eyes the man carefully, trying to figure out something about him. But the helmet he wore his him well. "Who are you?" he asked.

The armored man simply chuckled and backed away. "You know who I am." He said cheerfully before vanishing instantly with the wind. Rai stood there for a moment wondering where the man had vanished to, but quickly dismissed this thought and ran back to the shack. He'd finally remembered something about his life before Rome. Kimiko, his girlfriend… the armored man said she'd be waiting for him at the Xiaolin Temple in China. That's where he would head.

Rai burst through the door of the shack, startling both of the siblings sitting on the floor. "God, Rai, scare halfway to hell why don't ya!" Jess snapped, clutching the golden cross pendant around he neck.

"Whoa…" Jet said, confused. "Usually takes more than that to make you use God's name in vain."

"Yeah, yeah, she's a hard core catholic, whatever." Rai broke in. "Listen, I ran into this guy in the woods and then I remembed something."

"Oh, this aught to be good." Jet said sarcastically.

Rai punched his friend in the shoulder and then continued. "Listen, asshole. I have a girlfriend in China at the Xiaolin temple! If I go there maybe I can figure out more about who I am!"

"So… you're going to China?" Jess asked.

"You can't do that!" Jet snapped. "Intercontinental travel has been forbidden since the Sins took over except for transporting cargo!"

"To hell with the Sins!" Rai snapped. "I'm going to China whether you guys are backing me up or not." With that he got up again and walked over to the bundle of blankets he used for a bed. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

Jet and Jess just sat there watching him and glancing at each other. As much as they wanted to help their friend recover his memories they'd lived in Rome their whole lives and if they were caught sneaking into Asia they'd be sent to the coliseum to be fed to Gluttony's Lions immediately. It was a hard choice and, believe it or not, they'd heard that life in Europe was actually much better than in Asia. Compared to Lust, the sin who ruled Asia, Gluttony was very lenient with his people. It took them a while, but they both finally reached a decision, nodding to each other, knowing they'd agreed on the same thing.

Jess quietly snuck off to her room to get to sleep while Jet walked over to his own pile of blankets and made up his bed. "Hope you two can keep up with me." He said as he took off his sunglasses. "They don't call me 'Jet' for nothing."

Rai chuckled into his pillow and nodded. "Thanks man." He said before drifting off into sleep.

The next morning Rai, Jet and Jess quickly dressed (Jess pulling on the same shorts and pink tank top she's had on when they'd found Rai), gathered what they could carry with them, and burned down their shack. They were headed for China, and they didn't expect to make it back here.

SAHARA DESERT

Saya trekked helplessly through the ocean of sand around her, almost ready to collapse. Were it not for a few freak thunderstorms over the past week she would already have died from thirst. And were it not for a few snakes and hr ability to shoot lightning she would've died from starvation. "It's a good thing I've been through here a few times already or I wouldn't have any idea how to survive." She muttered to herself. She remembered the last time she'd gone through this desert, almost a year ago. She somehow managed to survive this hellhole and make it to Kenya where a tribe of friendly aboriginal people gave her food and shelter… that was also when she witnessed Pride being released from that mountain. "Kind of ironic that I ended up here, of all places on earth."

"Irony perhaps… or perhaps it was fate."

Saya spun around to see who had spoken. It was a man who seemed vaguely familiar to her even though his person was completely hidden by a long brown cloak and hood which swayed in the dusty wind. All she could see of him were those burning dragon eyes in the darkness of his hood. "You…" Saya said softly. "Jermiane and Guan told us about you… you're Prides oracle.

"Formerly Prides oracle." The oracle said. "I have detached myself from Pride his Sins."

"So… w-what are you doing here?" Saya stuttered, backing away slowly. Despite not knowing him at all something about this man just frightened her. It wasn't even how Jermaine and Guan had described how he fights either, it was just something about him seemed… like a long lost nightmare. Saya didn't know it but she would soon find out that she was closer than she could imagine. The oracle reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing the long main of jet black hair and pale skin that surrounded those burning dragon eyes.

"Hello Saya… remember me?" Chase Young asked, grinning at her devilishly.

The instant Saya saw Chase's face something snapped inside of her and she went into a blind rage. She immediately threw back her sleeves and started shooting lightning bold after lightning bolt at the dragon eyed man. Chase simply smirked and vanished, the lightning bolts shooting directly through where he'd been before he reappeared behind the blond Chinese girl. Saya swung around to slam her knuckles into his face but Chase was quick and caught her fist in his hand. Saya pulled back the first fist and went at him with her other and again Chase caught it in his hand. Saya then tried to round-house kick him but Chase blocked it with his forearm. "Are you quite finished?" Chase asked. "We don't have much time to waste here."

"I'll be finished when you're **DEAD!**" Saya shouted, shooting another lightning bolt at him only to be dodged when Chase teleported again.

"I see you've developed some new skills." Chase said as he reappeared behind her again. "How do you like the newest of mine? I call it the 'flash step'."

"Why don't you flash step back to limbo where you belong!" Saya shouted. She then swung back with her elbow, expecting to nail Chase's nose at least but missed once again. Chase had flash stepped to the other side of her again and this time caught her in a full nelson, restraining her completely.

"Now are you going to settle down or are we going to continue this pointless feud?" Chase demanded. Saya growled and seriously considered continuing the fight, but knew it was pointless and agreed to back down, despite her better judgment. "Good." Chase said, releasing her from his grip. "Now listen, I want those damned Sins gone just as much as you do. I think we may be able to get rid of them but only if we work together for a minimal amount of time… understand?"

"What do you mean work together?" Saya growled.

"I'm searching for an old acquaintance of mine, some one who was also alive fifteen hundred years ago. You know where he is, and I would like you to take me to him." Chase explained.

"How am I supposed to know where this guy is?" Saya demanded.

"You met him once. He is the chief of the village that guarded Prides prison in Kenya. I believe you were there when Pride was released, correct?"

"And how is this chief supposed to help us defeat the Sins once and for all?" Saya asked.

"He has guarded Pride for over fifteen hundred years." Chase explained. "Surely he would know some secrets." Chase then offered his hand to her for the agreement. "Do you accept my offer?"

Saya gritted her teeth and stepped back. Every nerve in her body was telling her to kill him or at least get away, but just the thought of defeating the Sins for good tempted her. How could she refuse to free the world from them… even if it meant uniting with an old enemy? She took his hand and shook. "Fine." She growled. "But no tricks."

Chase nodded. "Agreed. Now I believe you could use with an upgrade." The dragon eyes man then took back his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly his cloak and hood vanished and was replaced by his usual leather armor. At the same time Saya's ratty cloths, the yellow tank top and black miniskirt she usually wore was replaced by a cloak similar to the one Chase had been wearing… and identical to the one she'd wore while serving as Chases minion. "What the hell?" Saya gasped. "I said no tricks!"

"This is no trick." Chase said. "The journey ahead is long and perilous and with your normal strength you surely would not survive. I have returned to you the power you once had as my minion but with none of the limitations. You are free to speak to me, leave me stranded in the desert, and even attack me if you wish."

Saya nodded. She was still weary of her new ally, but for some reason it seemed like he could be trusted… just this once.

Over the next few days the two spoke little. Chase explained to Saya that by shooting lightning directly into the sky she could summon a rainstorm any time she chose and that was about it. They continued eating snakes and living off the rain water Saya summoned. It wasn't until they started noticing more plants and animals that anything significant happened.

"We should be close now." Saya said. "I recognize these rock formations." Chase remained silent, only wanting to reach his destination.

It was only a few more hours before they reached the village. It was small, made of only a few dozen wood and straw huts. Saya recognized the mountain behind it all to well. Its peak was still stained charcoal back from when Pride had been revived. The village itself seemed normal enough, at least as far as indigenous tribes in Africa go. Small children ran and played in its streets, women did their chores of collecting water and other things, and the men must have been off hunting.

Immediately Chase headed for the largest hut, easily recognized as belonging to the chief. Saya quickly followed after him, hoping to see her old friend the chief again. But just as they reached the hut two came walking out of it. The first was an elderly black man with gray hair and beard wearing various necklaces made of animal bones and pair of short, primitive red pants. He was holding a large white spear with also had various animal bones handing from strings tied around it. This was the chief, and as far as Saya knew his name was Chief, for that was what everyone called him. The second man Saya didn't recognize. He wore a suite of tight fitting armor that looked easy to move in and no skin revealed at all.

"My old friend, you should stop by more often!" Chief laughed happily in his thick African accent. "Had I know you were still alive I would've kept…" he paused when he noticed Chase and Saya standing only a few feet away. "Chase young…" he growled. "And young Saya, how nice to see you again!"

"Nice to see you too, Chief." Saya said shyly.

"What are you doing here?" Chief asked, turning to Chase. "Guan has told me what you have done."

"Believe it or not, old friend, greater matters besides my past with you and Guan are about." Chase explained.

"Yes." Chief agreed. "Pride has escaped and as of late taken the world… I have heard."

"Shall we set aside our differences and discuss this?"

"Yes…" Chief agreed. "I'm sure even you know when to set your own selfish goals aside." With that Chief walked back into his hut, motioning for Chase to follow him.

Chase turned to Saya before going after the elderly leader. "You may stay and wait for me if you wish, but I no longer require your services. Leave at your own accord."

"And where am I supposed to go?" Saya demanded.

"You've traveled long distances before. Perhaps all you need to do is find a faster way." Chase said before following Chief into his hut, leaving Saya and the armored man alone.

The two remained quiet, simply watching the hut and waiting for something to happen. It wasn't long, though, before the armored man walked over to Saya and grabbed her shoulder. "Your friends will be waiting." He said through his helmet before stuffing a folded piece of paper into her hand and then walking away. As he walked away from her and out of the village a small sand storm blew up, only lasting a second or two, and he vanished when it had passed.

Saya, confused, simply stared at the place where the armored man had vanished before turning her attention to the paper he'd given her. She quickly unfolded it and read what was inside. Only two words were written inside. _Home_ and _flash_. It took her a second but Saya quickly understood. "I'll be home soon, guys." She said to herself. She then tossed the paper to the ground and closed her eyes, beginning to summon all the energy she had into the soles of her feet. "I hope this is how Chase did this… **FLASH STEP!**" And then she simply vanished without a trace.


	3. Texas and the Temple

Chapter 2: Texas and the Temple

Kimiko starred out to the vast desert before her; nothing but miles upon miles of sand, rocks, and cacti as far as she could see. It had been a week now since she and the others had been separated and already she was eager to return to the temple, hoping to reunite with the others. Unfortunately, ever since the Sins had taken over the world intercontinental travel was almost impossible and completely illegal. Not to mention that the injuries she'd taken from Wuya in their battle were too severe for her to begin traveling anytime soon… at least by herself anyway. For days now she'd been trying to convince the people who'd taken her into their home to help her out but they flat out refused. They wouldn't risk the dead sentence just to help her reach another continent.

"You look sadder than a hog headed for the slaughter house… somethin' on your mind?"

Kim turned her head to find one of the people that had taken her in standing not far off. It was a girl about her age wearing a black leather jacket, a pair of blue jeans, leather boots, and a cowboy hat. The girl had short blond hair that covered on of her eyes and, to put it simply, wasn't exactly thin. "Oh… Hey, Jessie." Kim said, turning back to the desert.

Jessie Bailey, Clay's sister, walked over to the petite Japanese girl before her. "Look, I'm sorry daddy won't help ya get back to China… He's just worried that you won't make it and anyone who helps you won't be seen alive again. You are a wanted criminal after all, at least in the eyes of the Sin's you are."

"Yeah, I get it, Jessie. But your dad doesn't understand. If I don't get back to the temple and reunite with the others there's not even a chance that the Sins will be taken down and the world will never return to normal."

"I hear ya." Jessie said. "If it were up to me you'd already be on your way back to China… but even if I could help you there's be no way of you getting' back. Intercontinental travel ain't happening anymore."

The two girls just stood in silence for a while trying to figure out something better to talk about, but it wasn't long before Kim was suddenly struck with an idea. "Wait! What did you just say?"

"I said 'If it were up to me you'd…"

"Exactly! If it were up to you; who's to say it's not? You're the leader of a gang of bikers and when was the last time you actually listened to your dad anyway?"

Jessie just starred at the Japanese girl in a daze. "Dang, if that don't make sense." She said. "You head back to the house and get packin'. I'll find the other Vipers and tell them the plan. We're leavin' after dinner tonight."

THAT NIGHT

"Thanks for dinner, Mr. Bailey." Kimiko said as she got up from the table and pushed in her chair. "It was excellent."

"Don't thank me." The mustached rancher said, pointing his thumb to his daughter sitting next to her. "Jessie's the one who cooked. And that was awful nice of ya, Jessie… so wha'd ya do this time?"

"I didn't do nothin', Daddy." Jessie said, grabbing a toothpick from the table and jamming it between her teeth. "I just felt like cookin' tonight is all."

Mr. Bailey eyed his daughter carefully, trying to figure out what was going on. But he eventually decided that she was being honest and excused both girls from the table. And besides, Jessie really hadn't done anything bad… yet.

Kimiko and Jessie then headed upstairs to get ready for bed, or at least that's what Mr. Bailey thought. "So, Kim, you sure you don't know what happened to Clay?" Jessie asked as they reached the top of the stairs. "You were in pretty bad shape when me and the Black Vipers found you out in the desert, so you might've remembered something by now… right?"

Kim just shook her head. "I really don't know where Clay is." She answered. This wasn't the first time Jessie or Mr. Bailey had asked about Clay. Kim did her best to explain what happened; how the last she'd seen of him was when he, Saya, Omi, Mimi and Rai were headed into the next Sin's chamber while she stayed behind to fight Wuya, the Sin of Lust. For some reason they continued asking after that, though Mr. Bailey had given up by now, but Jessie was persistent and wouldn't give up on at least trying to figure out what happened to her older brother.

"Ok, ok, I get it." Jessie said. "So, you ready to hit the road?"

"Well, considering that I don't have anything to pack to begin with I think I've been ready for the last week or so." Kim said sarcastically. "So what's the plan? How're we gunna sneak past your dad?"

"The Vipers are waiting outside as we speak. All we have to do is jump out the window and we're as good as wanted criminals." Jessie explained.

"I already am a wanted criminal." Kim said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, and the Black Vipers will be too as soon as we help you out."

"Point taken. Just one question: who exactly are you guy's gunna help me reach another continent? I'm pretty sure your bikes can't run on water and planes and passenger ships are all but gone. How exactly am I supposed to get to China?"

"Simple. Intercontinental travel may be banned but the Sins understand that we can't survive these days without products from other countries, so cargo ships and planes can still travel. Me and the Black Vipers are gunna get you to San Diego and sneak you onto a cargo ship that'll be headed directly for China and you'll be on your own from there."

"And if we get caught?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out."

SAN DIEGO, THREE DAYS LATER

It was dark out. Kim, Jessie and a few of the Vipers crouched behind a stack of crates watching a group of sailors load a ship was other crates. "So, how do we pull this off?" Kim asked.

"Well, I figure that we Vipers can crash the party and cause a ruckus so you can sneak on unnoticed." Jessie suggested. The girls next to her agreed, knowing that a few sailors weren't enough to stop a group of biker chicks with chains. "So, whaddo ya think?"

"I think you all should hold still so this will be as painless as possible."

Kim and the others didn't have time to turn around and see who it was before they had to duck to avoid a sword slashing at them, crashing through the crates and causing them to shatter into splinters.

Kim jumped to the side after the attack to get a look at who it was. All she could tell, however, was that this person was male and that was only because of the voice. The man had completely masked his identity with a full body suit or medieval armor. But the strange part was the sword he had was obviously a katana, traditionally used in Japan or China, not Europe where his armor was from. "What the hell do ya think yer doin'?" Kim heard Jessie demand on the other side of the armored man.

The armored man simple looked over at Kimiko and pointed his katana at her. "You think you can defeat the Sins?" he demanded. "Then prove it to me. Defeat me in battle or die where you stand." With that he charged at her with his sword ready to slice her in half. Kim summoned fire into her hands, jumped out of the way, and started throwing fireballs at him. The armored man, however, dodged each one easily and then came at her with his katana again. Kim pulled out the Star Hanabi, called out its name, and threw it at him, successfully knocking the sword from his hand. The armored man then vanished, reappeared a few yards away from his original position and caught the sword in mid air. Then, using his free hand, he summoned a ball of blinding light and threw it at her. Kim jumped into the air and caught the Star Hanabi as it came flying back to her, at the same time jumping over the orb of light and closing the distance between her and her foe. The armored man stood there with his katana held in front of him, waiting for Kim to get in range for an attack. Kim landed and charged at him and at the same time he swung his sword at her. Kim managed to catch the blade of the sword between two points of the Star Hanabi. He pulled his sword back and tried slashing at her again but again Kim caught the blade on her Shen Gong Wu. The next time the armored man tried slashing at her Kim ducked under it and then swung her leg under his legs, knocking his legs out from underneath him. The armored man fell to the ground as Kim jumped back to her feet. Kim threw the Star Hanabi again to knock the katana from his hand and when it came back to her she caught it and pointed it at him, charging it with fire.

"Why are you doing this?" Kim demanded.

The armored man remained silent and glanced once over to his sword. He then looked back at Kimiko, his eyes reflecting the moonlight through the visor on his helmet. "You can't defeat the Sins." He said simply. "You aren't like me… But you have potential, I'll give you that." With that he vanished again, his sword disappearing with him, and he did not reappear this time.

"What just happened?" Jessie asked as she and the other Black Vipers reappeared from wherever they had been.

"I don't know…" Kim said, "but something tells me that's not the last I've seen of him."

"Hey, what's going on over there?"

"Damnit!" Jessie snapped. "Looks like the meatheads noticed your little show!"

"You guys get going!" Kim said, cracking her knuckles. "I can handle them."

Jessie shook her head. "We'll take care of them. You just worry about getting on the ship… oh! And one more thing before you go." Jessie then whistled and one of the other Vipers threw her a leather jacket with the Black Viper insignia on its back. "Welcome to the family. Yer as of now an honorary Black Viper."

Surprised, Kim slowly reached out and took the jacket from Jessie. But once she had it she quickly there it over her shoulders and slipped it on. "Thanks Jessie. Hope to see you again some day."

"Oh, don't worry." Jessie said as she and the rest of the Vipers jumped on their bikes and revved their engines. "You will." With that Jessie and the Black Vipers went riding out to the docks and started making a mess of things for the sailors. Just as planned Kim took advantage of this and snuck onto the ship. From there it was all a matter of time.

_I'll be home soon._ Kim thought. _Hope the others are there._

SOMEWHERE IN CHINA

"What I wouldn't give for Kimiko to be here right now." Elena groaned as she continued to try to make a fire to no avail. "Then again if Jewel were here we could just use body heat to keep warm." She continued, blushing. For the last week now Elena had been surviving on her own in the forests of China trying to get back to the temple. She knew she was in China only because of villages she'd passed through already. But how she'd managed to survive this long wasn't because she stayed in the villages at night. No, despite her better judgment she continued through each one and ended up sleeping in the woods every night. And what had she been eating and drinking for the passed week? Rain, river water, and various small animals she'd managed to kill with a few makeshift spears. "What I wouldn't give for some grilled chicken or even a bowl of rice right now."

She'd already been at making the fire for two and a half hours now and as soon as the third passed by she gave up. She fell onto her back and began breathing heavily. "I seriously need to steal a lighter in the next town or something."

"So, everything is to your liking, gentlemen?"

Elena sat up immediately and glanced around. "I know that voice." The Spanish girl then crawled over to the bush where she thought she'd heard the voice come from. She couldn't believe what she saw.

There stood Wuya, the Sin of Lust, surrounded by a group of five or six men who looked like mercenaries, with swords and guns aplenty. "I'll give you mountains of money and gold," Wuya continued, "And all you have to do is burn down the Xiaolin Temple."

Elena placed her hand over her mouth before she had a chance to gasp._ Burn down the temple!_ She mentally screamed. She had to do something! But she couldn't risk just jumping in there right now. She was tired, alone, and couldn't fight to save her life at the moment. _What am I gunna do?_

"Yeah, we'll burn down this temple of yers, Miss Lust." One of the mercenaries said. "It's the least we could do for the ruler of all Asia."

"Excellent." Wuya grinned. "I'll b there tomorrow morning to examine your work." With that the Sin of Lust vanished, leaving the mercenaries alone.

Elena crawled away from the bush and sat there silently. What was she going to do? Those men were going to burn down the closest thing she had to a home at the moment and she couldn't do a thing about it. But she couldn't just sit there and watch them set her home on fire! She had to do something, but what?

Elena suddenly felt something clod snake over her face and clasp over her mouth. It wasn't long before she realized that it was a hand made of metal, probably somebody in a suit of armor. Keeping his hand over her mouth, the owner of the hand walked out in front of her. As she'd suspected he was wearing a suit of armor. The armored man put a finger up to where his mouth would be, indicating to her to keep quiet. Elena nodded and the armored man removed his hand from her mouth but then placed it on her shoulder. "You are Elena Murrieta, correct?" he asked. Again, Elena just nodded. "Come with me. I'll help you save the temple."

THE TEMPLE

Before she even realized it Elena found herself and the armored man standing in the courtyard of the Xiaolin Temple. Elena immediately smiled, happy that she was finally back.

"C'mon! Those mercenaries will be here shortly." The armored man called as he started toward the temples entrance. Elena quickly caught up with him and followed him into the temple.

"So, who are you, anyway?" Elena asked.

"A friend. That's all you need to know." He answered.

The armored man led Elena into the Shen Gong Wu vault. Immediately he started looking through drawers, trying to find a few specific ones Elena guessed. "Stock up on what you'll need." He said. "We'll show these guys not to mess with the temple."

Not much later Elena and the armored man were standing at the gates of the temple waiting for the group of mercenaries to arrive. He clearly had a plan the Elena didn't know about, but for some reason Elena felt like she could trust this guy whether he shared his plans with her or not. She couldn't explain it but something about him seemed, eerily familiar.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" The mercenaries were coming down the road now and one of them had just shouted to Elena and the armored man. "Get out of the way before we burn you down along with this trash heap."

The armored man stepped forward and held out one hand and in a blinding red flash a katana appeared in his hand. "If you plan on living much long then you'll turn around now and tell Lust that she'll have to destroy this place herself… and I'll make sure that if she succeeds she'll go with it."

The mercenaries just starred at him in confusion and then for no apparent reason started laughing hysterically. They all then drew their swords and guns. "Please! There's six of us and your only backup is that li'l girl behind you." One of them said. "I bet she can't even fight… now that I think about it, I think we can have some fun with her after your dead and this place is on fire."

As soon as that mercenary had said that veins started popping out of Elena's neck and she clinched her fists. "Don't even try it, asshole!" she shouted. "I'll break your arms before you even have the chance." Elena then pulled out the two Shen Gong Wu she'd chosen to fight with: Mushas Sword and Bengoshas Shield.

One of the mercenaries made the first move by firing their gun at the armored man. The bullet struck him in the shoulder and pushed him back slightly but other than that did little damage at all other than a dent in his armor. The armored man then rushed at the man who'd shot at him and jammed the handle of his katana into the mans throat. The man fell over, breathing heavily and unconscious. "Quick hit to the jugular. Works every time." The armored man then proceeded to do the same to two of the other mercenaries who blacked out and fell to the ground as well. One of the remaining three then snuck up behind the armored man and trapped him by snaking his arms under the armored mans arms and locking his hands together behind his neck. The other two then went to remove his chest and stomach plates so they could, from what Elena guessed, kill him through slicing his stomach open. But Elena jumped in at the last second by tackling one of the two free men with Bengoshas shield and then jamming the handle of her sword into the throat of the second, just like the armored man had done. Now there was only one of them left. The last man, stunned by fear, left go of the armored man and then took off running, trying to get away as quickly as possible. "I don't think so." the armored man said. He then pulled out the Sapphire Dragon, threw it into the air, and called out its name. At the same time he latched the Emperor Scorpion to his forearm and activated it as well. The giant blue dragon appeared before them and blasted its sapphire blue fire at the running man. He was turned into a sapphire statue while still running. The Sapphire Dragon then went to turn the remaining five into statues as well.

The armored man recalled the Sapphire Dragon and then turned to Elena. "Not Bad, kid." He said. "I can see why you were fated to come to this temple. You are very courageous and you're willing to help those in need."

"Oh! Well… thanks." Elena stuttered.

"We'll have to find a way to protect the temple until your girlfriend and the others get back, though. And, as much as it pains me to leave this place again, I can't stay."

"You know that I'm…" Elena started, but stopped herself when she realized the big picture. "Wait, what do you mean you're leaving?"

"Places to go, people to see." The armored man said simply.

"So how am I supposed to defend this place by myself? Lust will probably send an army next time!"

The armored man walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder again. He then unlatched the Emperor Scorpion from his arm and handed it to her. "Have you ever heard of Mala Mala Jong?"

(a/n) well, theres chapter 2. Kims on her way back to China, Elena's already back at the temple and you still cant figure out this armored guy that keeps showing up everywhere. and as I said (to somebody, I cant remember who) you really begin to question whos side the armored man is on in this chapter. he tries to kill Kimiko and then he helps Elena save the temple, what's up with that? you'll find out in a few chapters. so... thats about it right now. next chapter, figure out where Hamsters (I told you he'd be back) been since the Ultimate Fighter Tournament and meet yet another immportant OC to this story (I know Im kind of overleading on the OCs, but I have my reasons). later.


	4. The Outback and the Middle East

Chapter 3: The Outback and the Middle East

Clay fell onto his back to relax after successfully starting a fire after almost an hour. The past week had been hard for him. He'd ended up in the Australian outback and was forced to wander aimlessly until he found civilization which he hadn't yet. He'd been sleeping under trees and when he found one a cave and he'd been surviving off of speared fish and, if the fishing was bad, the occasional snake or scorpion. "Man what I wouldn't do for a cheeseburger right now." He complained as he stuck his speared fish over the fire to cook.

He heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. He glanced over to them quickly but found nothing. By now Clay had learned to be vigilant and to be suspicious of every noise. Just the other day he had to fight off a dingo. Clay waited a few seconds before shrugging off the feeling and going back to watching his food, making sure it wasn't overdone. It took a while but eventually he could tell that it was ready to eat. He quickly reached into the fire and pulled out one of the sticks with a fish on it and then bit right into it. "Good thing I was raised on a ranch or I'd probably be dead right now." He muttered as he chewed.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Clay swung his head around to find who'd spoken but found no one. "Down here." He then looked down to his side and couldn't believe what he saw. It was an old acquaintance of his that he hadn't seen in months; a rodent standing on its hind legs and wearing tiny Xiaolin robes.

"Hamster?"

"I wondered if you'd recognize me." Hamster said. "Now if you don't mind, I'm afraid I'm famished but I'd burn to death if I tried to get my own food." Clay reached into the fire and pulled out another fish for Hamster. "So, I suppose the Sins are to blame for you're separation from your friends… am I correct?"

"Yeah. I don't know where they are… or how I ended up in Australia for that matter. You know what's going on?"

"I'm afraid so." Hamster sighed. And So Hamster explained to Clay everything that had happened in the passed week. The Sins taking over earth instantly, the Sin of Greed taking Australia; how he and all of his friends were now wanted criminals; how people around the world were now barely surviving, the Sins providing only the bare necessities to keep society in check. Clay could barely believe what he was hearing.

"What about my friends?" Clay demanded. "Do you know where they are? Please tell me you know where Saya is!"

"I know not where they are." Hamster admitted. "But I know where they are all headed. At this very moment all of your friends are on their way back to the Xiaolin Temple to reunite… I suspect that you wish to do the same."

"Yer damn right I do!"

"Then please, rest. For tomorrow we have a great ordeal ahead of us."

"What's the plan, little man?"

"We're going to pay a visit to an old… friend of mine… Hannibal Roy Bean."

THE NEXT DAY

"What exactly makes you think that Hannibal is even on this continent?" Clay asked Hamster as he and the rodent trekked through the outback. Hamster jumped onto Clay's shoulder and sat down.

"I have ways." Hamster answered. "Now hurry. He should know we're coming by now?"

"How…" Clay started, but he cut off as Hamster pointed towards the sky. Clay looked up to find a strange gray and black bird with a red crest flying away from them. "The Yin-Yang bird…"

"Yes. Hannibal will know of us soon enough."

"So, why are we lookin' for Hannibal anyway?"

Hamster simply sighed and shook his head. Kids today were so single minded. "Have you ever heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Clay nodded, explaining that Master Fung told him and his friends that all the time. "In situations like these it is good to unite with old enemies for a common goal. Hannibal is a dangerous enemy, but will also make an essential ally in the war against the Sins."

Clay froze in his tracks. "What was that?" he asked. Hamster repeated his last sentence and one word from that sentence kept repeating over and over in Clay's head. _War. _"So, when did this fight against the Sins turn into a war?"

"The second Pride came into existence over fifteen hundred years ago."

LOCATION UNKNOWN

Hannibal cringed and growled as he looked through the Yin-Yang Bird's eyes to the Texan monk and the rodent on his shoulder try to track him down. Hannibal could still remember the day not so long ago that Clay had destroyed the Oni's jewel before he'd had a chance at it and he still resented Clay for it too. "If he thinks I'm gunna help him then he's got another thing coming." He said before slamming the two halves of the Moby Morpher together and reforming himself into a large, demonic looking suit of armor, complete with spikes, horns, and black steel. "But what's with the rat on his shoulder?... never seen him before… unless…" he paused as thoughts raced through his head and it wasn't long before he realized who the hamster was. "So, the old man's after the Moby Morpher, is he? Well, he'll just have to take it from my cold, refried corpse… Yingy!"

Out of nowhere the in-Yang Bird fluttered down and landed on Hannibal's armored shoulder. "I've rested long enough. It's time I headed back to earth, my feathered friend." The Yin-Yang Bird squawked once before flapping its wings, easily lifting Hannibal's armored body, and flying away, disappearing in a blinding flash of darkness.

AUSTRALIA

"Got any bright ideas now?" Clay asked sarcastically.

"My brain is the size of a walnut. What do you think?" Hamster answered.

It had been hours now since Clay and Hamster had started looking for Hannibal and still they'd had no luck. They didn't know how many hours it had been before Clay finally decided to take a brake in the shade of a tree. Hamster didn't like this one bit and started explaining how important defeating the Sins was and how slothful Clay was being now of all times. Clay rolled his eyes and pointed out that he was twenty times as big as Hamster was and could easily crush him with his bare hands. Hamster clearly had no comeback for this and simply went silent until Clay was ready to get moving again.

But who could've seen it coming? Clay had fallen asleep within a few minutes of sitting down under the tree. "If only you knew the hell I could bring you…" Hamster growled angrily.

"It's the hell I can bring you that you should be worried about!"

A large shadow was suddenly cast of Hamster and the still sleeping Clay. Hamster swung around to find a suit of armor at least ten feet tall standing behind him with the Yin-Yang bird perched on its shoulder. Immediately one name came to his mind. "Hannibal! I should've known you'd save us the trouble of finding you."

"Now you know I never lay low for long. It was only a matter of time before I resurfaced." Hannibal chuckled.

"So," Hamster continued. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Again, Hannibal just chuckled and then he reached behind his back with both arms, pulling out the Moby Morpher and slamming the two halves together, reforming into his pintsized bean form so that he and Hamster could talk eye to eye. "I'm not here to fight. I just want you to know, I'm not working with you under any circumstances what so ever. I'd rather this whole planet blew up than work with you good for nothing monks."

"That is a very real possibility!" Hamster said. "And I know you want this world for your own just as much as I want to save it."

"What, suddenly you can read minds?... or was that written on the back of your eyelids?" Hannibal chuckled. "Or your desk calendar, perhaps?"

"So you know who I really am then?" Hamster sighed. "Then I suppose you know what I want."

"The Moby Morpher. Yeah, I know." Hannibal confirmed. "And I also know that I'll willingly hand it over to you when carrots learn to speak English!"

"Then how about you hand it over to me."

As soon as this voice had spoken Hannibal slammed the Moby Morpher together and took on his armor form again. He then turned around to face who had spoken only to receive a roundhouse kick to the face which sent him flying at the Tree where Clay was sleeping. The person who'd delivered the kick was covered from head to toe in form fitting medieval armor. The armored man laughed aloud as Hannibal slammed against the tree with a metallic bang and then landed on top of Clay. Immediately Clay woke up and threw the oversized suit of armor off of him. "What in the name of great-granddaddy Bailey's world famous barbequed baby back ribs with the super secret sauce, mouthwatering meat, and side dish of pork and beans fell on me?" Clay shouted.

"You said a mouthful." Hamster chuckled.

The eyes inside of Hannibals helmet glowed neon red as he pushed himself back to his feet and summoned two double bladed executioners' axes with extra long handles. "I know that voice." He growled. "What the hell are you doing here of all placed?"

"I'm here to finish a job I should've finished a long time ago." The armored man answered as he summoned his katana sword.

"So you are who I thought you were." Hamster said as he jumped back onto Clay's shoulder. Clay, meanwhile, was completely confused and asked Hamster what was going on. Hamster simply said that he would understand later and for now he should just observe and learn.

Hannibal charged at the armored man with one of his axes raised into the air. As Hannibal brought the axe down towards him the armored man blocked the axe with his sword. Hannibal then swung the other axe at him from the side but the armored man lifted his leg and slammed it down onto the axe, pinning it to the ground. Next the armored man slammed his head against Hannibal's chest, sending him stumbling backwards and dropping both of his axes, and ran after him, jumping into the air and crashing the heel of his foot into Hannibal's chest. Hannibal was now pinned to the ground with the armored man standing over him. With one foot safely pinning Hannibal down the armored man lifted the other and stomped down on Hannibal's helmet, crushing it as if it were a cardboard box. He nodded and stepped off of Hannibal. He reached down and grabbed both of his arms with the Moby Morpher still on both and he brought them together reverting Hannibal back to his original form. After that he slipped the golden half shields off of Hannibal's tentacles (they grew to their usual size after being removed). "Here." He said as he tossed both pieces to Clay. "I hope you know how to sue it." With that the armored man vanished without a trace in a sudden and quick dust storm.

Clay and Hamster stood there silently as the Yin-Yang bird fluttered down, picked up its fallen master and flew away back into the Yin-Yang world. After that Clay slipped the two halves of the Moby Morpher on his arms and prepared to use it. "I hope you have a form in mind that will get us to China quickly." Hamster said.

"Oh, I have something in mind." Clay smirked. Clay slammed the two halves together to take on a new form. There wasn't much of a difference except that now Clay's head was a flaming skull and he was now sitting on a motorcycle with flaming wheels. "I always wondered what this would be like." He said in a demonic double voice. "Now let's ride!" With that Clay revved the engine of the bike and he and Hamster sped off towards the horizon at an almost impossible speed leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

THE MIDDLE EAST

Mimi groaned in annoyance as she tried to keep her hair inside of the veil she'd been given by one of the other girls. The area she'd ended up in was very highly populated with Muslim people and if she wanted to keep off the radar she had to stay in disguise. Finally, in frustration, Mimi ripped the cloth from her head and threw it to the floor. The girl Mimi had been forced to share a room with walked over to her and picked it up. "Please, I know you detest this but you must not be spotted, especially my one of Lust's informants." She said, offering the cloth back to Mimi. "You are a wanted criminal after all."

"I know, Charity, I'm just pissed off is all." Mimi said. "If it were my choice I'd be on my way back to China by now but with the Sins lackeys everywhere traveling that far is almost impossible without being checked out."

During the week between being separated from the others and now Mimi had joined a group of Rogue children in a small Middle Eastern town. Counting her there were eight of them total and they all lived in an abandoned building that had been condemned long ago. The girl that Mimi shared a room with was Charity. Charity wasn't her real name, of course, but Mimi couldn't pronounce her real name (or anyone else's in the group for that matter) so the two girls agreed on the nickname to avoid confusion. She wore a plain black dress with a veil over her mouth and nose and another cloth over her hair. Other than Charity Mimi didn't know many of the others well. Only their leader, an older boy who she called Buzz, and the youngest of them, a little boy that she called Speedy. Everyone else seemed to intentionally avoid her for reasons she really didn't care about. _I'll be out of here soon enough anyway._ Mimi thought.

Living with these kids was simple enough. Everyday a couple of them would go into tow with Buzz to get food and supplies to last for at least the day and night. Mimi had gone only twice but knew how dangerous it was. Servants of Lust were everywhere, not just in that town but all over Asia, and could arrest anyone on a whim. Just another one of the many hells that came with a world ran by seven psychopaths.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Mimi asked as Charity helped her with the cover for her hair.

"You, Speedy, and I are going with Buzz into town." Charity explained.

"Speedy's coming too? Isn't it a little dangerous for him to go into town at his age?" Mimi asked.

"Trust me, Speedy can take care of himself." Charity giggled. "You learn that after living with the little rascal for so long."

"All right then, let's go."

IN TOWN

"Ok, you all know what to do." Buzz said to Charity, Speedy, and Mimi. "Spend all of the money you have and then if it's not enough start stealing until you have everything we need. You three can handle food. I'll get everything else." With that Buzz walked off into the throng of people behind him, leaving Mimi, Charity, and little Speedy behind. The two girls and their pint sized companion started searching through the bazaar for everything they needed; mostly bread, fruit, and water.

Just an hour later Mimi checked their list. "Look's like we've got just about everything. All we need now is water."

"We should've gotten that first." Charity complained. "It's all the way on the other side of town."

"I can get it!" Speedy said enthusiastically. "It won't take me long at all!"

Charity kneeled down and patted him on the head, bringing about a growl from the little boy. "Water's really heavy, Speedy." She explained. "You may be faster than anyone else but I doubt you could carry enough for everyone by yourself."

"C'mon, you two!" Mimi called. "You know how Buzz gets if he beats anyone back."

"Coming!" Charity called back to the French redhead. "Let's get going, Speedy." With that Charity went to catch up with Mimi, thinking that Speedy would follow behind her like a good boy. And at first he did… until he stopped, having the eerie feeling that they were being watched. He tried to call to Mimi and Charity but before he could the boy felt something cold and hard snake over his mouth and another press against his neck, only this one was thin and sharp.

"Hey!"

Mimi and Charity swung around to find Speedy standing completely frozen in front of a man wearing medieval armor who was holding a katana sword to his throat. "Catch me if you can." With that the katana vanished and the armored man wrapped his free arm around Speedy, picking him up and locking him under his arm before running off.

"Speedy!" Charity called. She had no idea what to do other than stand there and panic. Mimi, however, was quick to take action and chase after him. Charity was surprised by this at first, having never suspected Mimi to act like this. When they'd first met Mimi was a complete emotional wreck, sobbing her eyes out one moment and turning insanely mad the next. It took her a second or two but Charity was quick to follow Mimi's actions and chase after Speedy and his kidnapper.

Mimi and Charity chased the armored man throughout the town. The armored man quickly took to the roof tops and Mimi followed him up there while Charity, not being very agile or fast herself, stuck to the allies and streets below. At one point the girls managed to catch him in a dead end. They thought they'd caught him but he only proved them wrong by teleporting behind Charity and taking off again. By the time the armored man had finally stopped running the sun was already starting to set and Charity and Mimi were completely exhausted.

He had led them just outside of town, to the ocean of sand that surrounded it. Mountains loomed in the background with the sun just behind them behind the armored man and behind the girls was the town. "Not bad, ladies." He said. "I would've thought you'd have given up by now." He looked directly at Mimi and then to Charity. He vanished again, this time reappearing right in front of Charity and set Speedy, who was now unconscious, down in front of her. "You have true potential." He said. "Don't let anyone tell you any different… and you," he then turned to Mimi. "You want to go home, right?"

Mimi stared at him in confusion. "How'd you know…"

"I think the question is what he hasn't told you yet."

All three looked to the voice and they gasped at who they saw. "Well, well, well," said the Sin of Greed, her long black pony tail and the pink veils over her mouth and pelvis blowing in the wind. "If it isn't Lust's favorite lover, short-and-bald's prostitute, and my favorite little sister."

"Greed!" Mimi, Charity, and the armored man shouted simultaneously.

"What in Allah's great name are you doing here again?" Charity demanded. "I thought we made it clear that you and brother weren't welcome here when you were banished."

"Now that's not a nice thing to say." Greed pouted, thought obviously not meaning it. "Brother Gluttony and I have missed you dearly, little sister."

"She's your sister?" Mimi asked, shocked.

"Former sister…" Charity growled.

With an enraged cry the armored man suddenly summoned his katana again and charged at Greed. Greed summoned her two swords and used them to block his attack and the two were caught in a deadlock, neither letting down for the other to succeed. "Go!" the armored man called, using his free hand to throw something back to Mimi and Charity. What he'd thrown looked like a small manta ray statue made of silver with a note tied to it with a string. Mimi took a closer look and, as she'd thought, it was the Silver Manta Ray. "Mimi, take the Manta Ray and go to the places on the paper in order!" the armored man called. "Charity, you and Speedy go home and do hide!"

Charity didn't have to be told twice. Not wanting to even look at her sister, she picked up Speedy, cradling his body in her arms, and ran back into the town. Mimi also did as she was told and activated the Silver Manta Ray. Once it had grown to its full size and she'd gotten inside, she took a look at the paper that had come with it.

_Cairo, Venice, Moscow, home._

Mimi just shrugged and took one more look down to the armored man and Greed. A full fledged battle had broken out now and she didn't want to stick around to see the winner. "Look out, Cairo, here I come."

* * *

(a/n) ya know, Im really not satisfied about how the second half of this chapter turned out. all well, had to rush half of it anyway so it really cant be helped. and yes, the skull and motorcycle thing Clay did is a reference to Ghost Rider... I love that movie. also, dont expect to see buzz or speedy again. they were very minor characters that I created souly for this chapter, and frankly I dont even like them. however, charity will play a major role later on. and one more thing, dont expect me to update this for at least another month. I seriously need a break from this story line for a while. I think Ill work on Xiaolin Show-off 2 next and then a few chapters of X-men and One champion before this. again, this **IS NOT** dead, Im just taking a break. until then, later.


	5. The Amazon and the Arctic Circle

Chapter 4: The Amazon and the Arctic Circle

Omi waited silently at the edge of the river with a long, sharpened stick held over his head. He listened to the sounds of birds, frogs, and monkeys in the background as he watched for a fish to pass by so he could spear it and cook it. This had become part of his daily routine for the passed week; travel through the jungle and try to find civilization for most of the day, stop once or twice to try to catch food; and then spend sunset building a fire. "I do not see how Raimundo can stand living in this country." Omi complained quietly as he finally spotted a fish coming his way. "It's almost one-hundred percent humidity, there are jaguars around every corner and the Mosquitoes here are the size of my head! Brazil sucks!" Unknown to Omi, however, he was actually in Peru.

Omi hurled his spear into the water. Water splashed into the air and he saw multiple fish scatter, but it wasn't until the water settled into simply rippled that Omi saw that he'd failed to get anything. "Damn it!" He couldn't blame himself though; he did have other things on his mind. The last thing he remembered before waking up alone in this jungle was Mimi and he fighting against the Sin of Wrath and passing out when Wrath pointed a sniper rifle at them. He wanted to know so many things; what happened to Mimi, did the others win their fights, were they even alive? He couldn't stand not knowing.

After another hour or so of fishing Omi had finally managed to spear a few and headed back to the small shelter he'd made for himself. He couldn't help but feel like he was being watched through the whole walk, as short as it was. He figured it was just another Jaguar, he'd seen many over the last few days.

Omi set his food down inside of his shelter, made of tree branches and various plants. "Something's not right here." He muttered. He looked outside and found nothing out of the ordinary so he just shrugged it off and started on his nightly fire. The fire was always the worst part of his day as it was hard to start and needed constant vigilance in case it tried to go out. It always got him frustrated very quickly. "What I wouldn't give for a flame thrower right about now." He complained after about twenty minutes of rubbing sticks together.

"Ok, kid, but you asked for it."

Omi felt a sudden heat at his back and a strange crackling sound arrived. He made a jump for it and got out of his shelter just in time to see it catch on fire. It wasn't long before he saw who was responsible. It was a man wearing strange armor twirling the Star Hanabi in his hand and sitting on a low branch up above. "You know, playing with fire is pretty dangerous, especially in a place like this… Orb of Tornami!" The armored man then pulled the orb out and dumped water over the fire he'd just started.

"The orb?" Omi checked his sleeves to see if he still had the Orb of Tornami and wasn't surprised to find that it was gone. "Give that back!"

"Bossy, aren't we." The armored man said, annoyed. He stood up and tossed the orb in the aria few times. "Here… catch." He caught the orb one last time before throwing it at Omi so fast that Omi couldn't even dodge. The orb slammed Omi in the fore head and knocked him to the ground. "I said catch. You need to listen, kid."

Omi, now with a red bump the size of a melon on his head, staggered back to his feet. "What the hell's you're problem?" he demanded.

"The question isn't what my problem is." The armored man said as he jumped down from the branch and started walking closer to Omi. "The real question is what can you do to get rid of your problem."

"I don't follow…"

The armored man just shook his head and sighed. "If you want to get home and save the world then follow me." He then jumped back into the trees and started leaping his way out of sight. Omi chased after him. It started out simple enough, the armored man jumped from branch to branch with Omi following close behind copying his every move. Omi wasn't sure why he was following this man. By now he'd learned not to trust random people like that, even with promises like his. But for some reason this person seemed trust worthy, almost as though they'd met before a long time ago. "Just like I thought. You're way to slow, kid." The armored mans voice snapped Omi out of his thoughts and he picked up the pace. The chase continued at the same rate for a while until the armored man made an unexpected move. He jumped off of one branch but instead of touching down on the next and jumping again he grabbed onto a higher branch, flipped over it and just as Omi was going under him he went back down, slamming his foot into Omi's back and sending him back to the forest floor.

Omi crashed to the ground, skidded across the mud and then pushed himself back to his feet. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded.

"You need to be ready for anything at all times." The armored man stated as he perched himself on a branch. "The Seven Deadly Sins don't play by fight club rules… and neither do I." and with that he took off again with Omi still pursuing.

They continued the chase for some time after that, the armored man almost constantly pulling more tricks and sucker punched like before. Omi was almost hit the first few times but quickly got the hang of it and was soon dodging them easily. He even tried to fight back once or twice but to no avail. The armored man was very impressed by how quickly the young monk learned and decided to move onto phase two.

The armored man could seem the twilight of the sun set growing slowly brighter in between the trees. They were coming close to a clearing and hopefully the one he wanted. It wasn't long before he crashed through a wall of leaves and into the open air, grabbing onto a higher branch before he was too far out and swing up on top of it. Omi zipped through the wall of leaves after him but he went too far out and was unable to grab a tree…

…Before he fell into the river below.

The armored man nodded and then vanished, reappearing in the trees on the other side of the river. "Your element may be water, but have you mastered it enough to get out of this and keep up with me at the same time?" he called.

He didn't have to wait long to get his answer. Before he'd even started tree-jumping again a ball of water had risen out of the water with Omi inside of it. The armored man swung around and started jumping again as the ball of water zoomed after him at lightning speed, slashing into water on contact with the trees and freeing Omi to chase after him. _As I thought…_ the armored man thought. _He has potential… a power even I couldn't have anticipated. But he's not one of them._

With Omi's sudden burst of speed the armored man had to admit that he was sort of struggling to keep the little nuisance off of him. He was making more twists and turns and attacking Omi more than before and he easily kept up with him and dodged every attack. Omi even tried retaliating once more and managed to brush his fingers against his armor, a big improvement from before.

And finally they came to the place where the armored man had been leading Omi to the whole time. The two broke through the trees again to come to a clearing. It was just a large field of extremely tall grass that led to a cliff which hung over the Pacific Ocean… and a few huge, razor sharp rocks. The armored man jumped from the trees into the grass and ran forward until he was only a few feet from the edge of the cliff. He stood there, looking out to sea as Omi ran up behind him, breathing heavily and barely able to speak, but there not the less. "Why… have you… brought me h-here?" Omi gasped.

"Time to see if you can prove me wrong, kid." The armored man summoned his katana sword and swung around, pointing the blade directly at Omi. "I suggest you find a weapon before I slice you in half."

Thinking quickly Omi summoned his power over water and a small jet of water shot up from the ocean and into Omi's hand, freezing into the form of a sword. They both clinched their swords tightly in both hands and began to circle each other, never taking their eyes off the other. Finally, the armored man teleported behind Omi and brought his blade down at him. Omi swung around and deflected the katana with his ice sword. While the armored man was regaining control of his weapon Omi twirled around and tried slashing at his opponents chest only to have his attack blocked by the armored mans sword. They remained stationery for a second with their swords pressing against each other until they both swung around completely and their blades clashed again. They separated again and Omi jumped back to get some distance. The armored man chased after him, going on the offensive and slashing at Omi every time he got close enough. Omi, however, managed to barely dodge each one.

Omi was so busy dodging the armored mans attacks that he couldn't attack back and he also didn't notice that the armored man was slowly cornering him in between him and the cliffs edge. By the time Omi had realized that he was trapped it was too late. The armored man knocked Omi's ice sword out of his hand and then pushed Omi to the ground. He then took his katana in both hands, pointing the blade towards the ground, and plunged it down at Omi. The blade stabbed into the ground directly next to Omi's head.

"On your feet, kid." The armored man ordered. Omi hesitated at first, thinking that this was some kind of trick. But he soon saw that the armored man meant him no harm (at the moment) and he slowly staggered to his feet. The armored man nodded and placed his hand on Omi's head. "You're good... you've got potential I've never seen in anybody else… but I'm sorry to say that you aren't capable of beating the Seven Deadly Sins… at least, not on your own."

"I know that." Omi agreed. "My friends and I have battled the Sins multiple times and as of the last we failed miserably. I just know there's some kind of secret to defeating them… I just don't know what it is."

The armored man sighed and hung his head. "All of the answers will come in time, Omi… but for now you only need to do one thing."

"What is that?"

"Go home." With that the armored man pushed back on Omi's head and sent him tumbling over the edge of the cliff. "You have potential, kid! Use it!"

Omi didn't know what he meant by potential. Was he supposed to use his elemental powers to somehow teleport back to the temple or something? He just didn't understand. He didn't have time to think either, because if he thought it over for too long the rocks below would crush him. So, given the circumstances, Omi trusted the only thing he could at the moment. His instincts. And as luck would have it his instincts took over right then and there.

The armored man watched from the cliff above as Omi's body was suddenly engulfed in a blinding light. The light stopped just above the water and hovered their for a moment before it shot out to sea at lightning speed, reaching the horizon in seconds and leaving walls of water rising on both sides of its path.

"Seven down… one to go." The armored man muttered before vanishing.

THE ARCTIC CIRCLE

Julia groaned as she forced her eyes open. "Where am I?" she breathed as she got a look as her surroundings. She was inside of some kind of one room log cabin with various stuffed animal heads on the wall (and one bear whose entire body had been stuffed). Across the room there was a fire place with a chimney and a bear skin rug just in front of that. Julia herself was lying on a couch and was rapped in quite a few blankets. But despite the warm cocoon of blankets she was in there was still a slight chill in the air.

"You are in northern Russia, just north of the Arctic Circle."

Julia flipped over on the couch and looked at the other side of the room. She found more stuffed animal heads and a guy sitting in a chair. This man seemed familiar to her. He was dressed very warmly, a thick coat and snow pants and stuff like that. He had blond hair that was cut straight across just above his eyes all the way around his head. "Who are you?" Julia asked.

"My name is Vlad." He answered.

"I recognize you… weren't you one of Jack Spicer's goons back in Iceland?" Julia asked.

Vlad simply nodded and reached to the other side of his chair. He brought back a mug and held it out to her. "Drink." He said. "Sleeping for a week can put a strain on the muscles."

"I've been sleeping for a week?" Julia asked, taking a sip of Vlad's drink (some kind of tea).

"I found you out in the tundra just over a week ago today and brought you back here to my cabin… I may be a villain but in times like these… well… let's just say the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Julia was confused. Why would Vlad, one of Jacks flunkies, help her out and what did he mean by "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" "Could you please explain to me what's happened since you've found me? What do you mean by 'times like these'?" Vlad explained everything to her. The Seven Deadly Sins had taken over the entire planet in a single instant; six of them now rule one of the continents each while the seventh rules over them from Antarctica; she as well as her friends (though for some odd reason Rush wasn't in that count) were now wanted criminals; and now civilization had pretty much reverted to the medieval ways, only some of the advanced technologies had stayed. "So… if I'm a wanted criminal does that mean you're going to turn me in for a reward?"

Vlad shook his head. "You are wanted dead or alive and I could've had your frozen body half way to Rome by now if I wished. As I said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and right now my only enemies are the Seven Deadly Sins."

"So, what, you want to team up or something?" Julia asked, getting a sudden dread just from the idea.

"For a short time, yes. Believe me, I am no more enthusiastic about it than you, but I believe that you and your friends are the only hope of defeating the Sins. Tomorrow morning we will head for Moscow. There I will arrange a transport to take you back to the Xiaolin temple."

"How do you plan to do that?" Julia asked. "From what you tell me intercontinental travel is forbidden and is punishable by death."

"I have… connections." Vlad explained. "Now please, rest. We have a long travel ahead of us tomorrow."

MOSCOW THE NEXT DAY

"So… how's this going to work again?" Jewel asked.

"I'm going to take you to Moscow's resistance headquarters and you will be smuggled to China from there. I, however, have other plans for myself." Vlad knew that Jewel was going to ask what so he decided to answer before she could ask. "Let's just say that the Sin of Gluttony is passing through today and my associates and I have a surprise for him."

"So… one week and there's already a resistance movement?" Jewel asked.

"That is how serious this is." Vlad explained.

They were silent from there until they reached where they were going. It was a small pub with almost no body inside, jus the bar tender and one or two customers. Vlad walked up to the bar tender and flashed him a slip of paper. The bar tender nodded and reached under the counter. Vlad motioned for Jewel to follow him and they went to the back room. Once there a small part of the wall opened like a door and they went inside. After a few moments of traveling the long dark tunnel they came to a dead end. A voice suddenly echoed through the tunnel. "Who knocks at the garden gate?"

"Two thorns in the heel of the gardener." Vlad answered. Just as he'd finished speaking a door opened in front of him and Jewel. Passed the door was a small room much like Vlad's cabin, only it was round and there was a table in the center with a few people sitting around it.

"Vlad…" One of the strangers said, this was a short but muscular that seemed to be in his mid fifties. He gray hair covered his eyes but went no further than that, he had a thick gray mustache, and he wore the same warm clothes that Vlad did. "I've wondered where you've been. Is the girl you told us of in your note?"

Vlad nodded. "This girl is one of the eight that I believe will be able to defeat the Sins. It is our responsibility to smuggle her back to the Xiaolin Temple in China so she may reunite with her comrades and plan out how to defeat the Seven Deadly Sins."

"And what makes you so sure that this girl and her comrades can even defeat the Sins?" the elderly man asked.

"Because, Raphael, she and her comrades are the only ones ever to fight the Sins and live to tell the tale." Vlad explained. "I witnessed one such event myself."

Raphael nodded and turned back to the others to discuss the matter, but Jewel couldn't understand because they spoke in Russian. It wasn't long before Raphael turned back with their decision. "We'll help you out, girl. But for the worlds sake Vlad had better be right."

LATER IN THE STREETS OF MOSCOW

"You are sure everything is set?" Vlad asked to Raphael as they waited patiently in the crowd that had unwillingly gathered to watch Gluttony pass through the city.

Raphael nodded. "The truck with the girl on it will leave after Gluttony passes by. And when Gluttony passes by us…" He paused and undid his coat to reveal he had various guns and at least a dozen grenades strapped to the inside of it. "… We'll give that son of a bitch a proper welcoming from Russia… with guns."

Meanwhile, not far away, Julia waited patiently for the driver to arrive, leaning against the truck she was supposed to be on. "What could possibly be taking so long?" she grumbled.

"He's not coming."

Jewel turned her head to find a man wearing strange armor standing next to her. "The real driver has been disposed of by Gluttony's secret police. A false one will arrive shortly and will take you just outside of Moscow, at which point the truck will explode, killing you both."

Julia was both shocked and confused. Who was this guy and how did he know all of this? But before she could ask the armored man simply turned away from her and started walking away. "If you value your life you'll get away from here now." He said before disappearing into the crowd. Julia wasn't sure if this guy could be trusted… but then again Vlad couldn't exactly be trusted either, even if he hated the Sins just as much as she did. She couldn't decide what to do; that's when she noticed a small folded piece of paper on the ground where the armored man had been standing. She picked it up and unfolded it to read what was written.

_Stay in Moscow until Gluttony is gone. Some one will be around to get you after wards. You'll know them when you see them._

_P.S. Elena's safe and sound at the temple already._

After reading this Jewel decided to take the armored mans advice and get away from the truck. She worked her way through the crowd, hoping to find him again but he'd either disappeared or was too far into the crowd to be found.

And then it all started. Trumpets sounded near by as the Sin of Gluttony came into view. The colossal dark skinned man with the stone mask sat on a thrown on wheels that was being dragged along by two extremely large lizards (they could pretty much be considered dragons) and he was completely surrounded by a small army of personal guards. Amazingly, people began to chant his name, though clearly they weren't enthusiastic. Gluttony simply glanced at them occasionally and rolled his eyes. Clearly the ruler of all of Europe didn't want to be there any more than anyone else did.

About five minutes after Gluttony had first appeared Vlad and Raphael's plan went into action. It started with Cannons going off from the roof tops. Gluttony sat in his throne unfazed by the sudden bombardment of his troops and transportation. Next many men on the ground started pulling guns out of their coats and started shooting at Gluttony. The bullets just bounced off of his skin but this was enough to anger him as after this he stood up, grabbed his club from the side of his throne, and jumped into the crowd. He rampaged through the crowd, crushing anyone who had shot at him and anyone who got in his way, intentionally or not. It wasn't long before the only ones left shooting were Vlad and Raphael.

Jewel couldn't stand to watch anymore and ran into a nearby ally. She was so preoccupied with getting away from the fight that she failed to notice what was flying over the city.

The Silver Manta Ray.

* * *

(a/n) I was definatly listening to the wrong music when I wrote Omi and the armored mans fight scene (sweet home alabama, good for road trips and boat rides, but not fight scenes), so Im kinda disapointed with that part, but Ill leave whether its good or not up to you guys. anyway, after this Ive got one more chapter thatll explain someones location (jack and nina) and after that the war really begins. and yes, I left Vlad and Raphaels fate a mystery for a reason. youll definatly see Vlad later on along with many other villains from the show, but as of now Raphael is one of those OCs crated for a single chapter. I like him though, so he might come back. thats all I can think of for now. if you have any questions go ahead and ask and Ill answer as best I can without giving anything away. later.


	6. Together Again Part 1

Chapter 5: Together Again

Chapter 5: Together Again Part 1

"Hard to believe that just a week ago this city had thousands of people in it… now it's completely deserted… talk about your ghost towns." Nina said as she and Jack made their way through the deserted streets of Los Vegas. Nobody was sure why Vegas was suddenly deserted, but it defiantly had something to do with Jacks older brother Gabriel, better known as the Sin of Sloth and now the absolute ruler of North America.

"Yeah, but it's convenient for us." Jack said. "The isolation will help me concentrate and all the technology that casino's around here put into their vaults will make perfect material for what I'm working on."

"And that would be?" Nina asked.

"A portal to the Yin-Yang world." Jack answered. "With any luck I'll be able to build it so that it can lock onto the immense energy that the Sins give off and then it will expand over the entire world, taking them into the Yin-Yang world but leaving everything else in tact."

"You really think that will work?" Nina questioned.

"If not this entire planet is royally screwed." Jack said. "Now let's try to find a big casino. Big gambling equals big vault."

They continued to work their way further into the labyrinth that was Las Vegas, trying to find the biggest casino they could. But as they continued deeper into the city they were completely unaware that some one was watching their every move… someone with an army at his disposal. "There you are, Li'l Jackie."

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Oh, this is just too perfect." Jack laughed as he ripped his way through the computers and security controls of the casino he and Nina now occupied. He had practically everything he needed to build the inter-dimensional portal here. All he needed was a way to lock onto the Sins and a way to break into the Yin-Yang world without fail. Breaking into another dimension wasn't the problem, Jack had done it before. The problem was getting to the right dimension. There was no way of determining which dimension the portal would open to unless he had something directly connected to that dimension. "This would be so much easier if I had the Yin-Yang Yo-Yo or something."

"Why send them to the Yin-Yang world?" Nina questioned. "Wouldn't it be better to send them to a random dimension that we can't access otherwise?"

Jack shook his head. "We need to make sure they can't get back, and the best way to do that is to make sure we have all the keys to that dimension." He explained.

Nina just shrugged. "Well, either way, you're not going to find a way to the Yin-Yang world in Vegas." She said.

"Just ruin my day, why don't you." Jack laughed.

"You're a wanted criminal, you're on the run from your psychotic brother who's actually evil, you're sitting in a casino trying to build something that usually only exists in science fiction, and to top it off Gabriel has your own robots hunting you. How could your day possibly get any worse?"

At that moment Jack dropped everything in his hands, walked over to the red headed girl and pulled her into a tight hug. "Something could happen to you." He whispered into her ear."

Nina just giggled and gave him a kiss. "You're so sweet."

After that Jack went back to his work, trying to figure out what parts he needed to break the inter-dimensional wall. Nina tried to understand what he was doing but the mess of wires, circuit boards, and metal just looked like junk to her. So instead she did something else that needed taken care of: she and Jack hadn't eaten in days. She headed back to the ground floor of the casino and stared searching for a restaurant. It wasn't long before she found one and, thank god, there was a pantry the size of a house filled with food that wouldn't go bad for a year at the least. "We could last for months on all of this… maybe it won't be so bad here for a while."

"You won't last an hour if you don't get out of here soon."

Nina swung around to find a man wearing strange armor standing in the doorway behind her. "Wh-who are you?" she stuttered.

"Unimportant." The armored man said. "All you need to know is that in about ten minutes an army of skeletal soldiers, which I know you're familiar with, and robots, which I know your boyfriend is familiar with, is going to rampage through here. If you're still here they'll find the both of you, drag you out of here, and they'll execute you but keep Jack for certain reasons."

"How do you know this?" Nina questioned.

"Again, unimportant. Now get Jack and get out of here." With that the armored man turned around and walked away, disappearing through the swinging doors of the kitchen. Nina chased after him but found him already gone when she passed through the swinging doors. She waited there for a bit, trying to figure out where he'd gone, but gave up quickly and ran to find jack.

"Jack!" she shouted as she threw open the door to the vault room. "We need to get out of here, now! Gabriel's found us!"

"What? Damn it!" Jack shouted, throwing his work to the ground. "How'd he find us so fast?"

"I think we should be more worried about how we're getting out of here unnoticed." Nina said as she scanned the security monitors. "Every camera outside shows Gabriel's army has completely surrounded this place."

"I other words, Gabriel's royally screwed me, again!" Jack growled, slamming his fist against the wall. "What I wouldn't give to kick his ass right about now."

"So, how're we getting out of here?" Nina asked.

"Let me think…" Jack started pacing around the room, trying to think of any way to get them out of there. It seemed hopeless at first, but then an idea hit him. "I don't have much done yet, but I think I can get my portal done quick enough to at least take us somewhere else… I'll need some time though."

"Time's something we don't have." Nina said. She was looking down at one of the monitors with Gabriel looking right back at her, flipping off the camera. "I'd say we have about three minutes."

"Then that's all I need." Jack agreed, getting back to his work on the portal.

Meanwhile, just outside of the casino, Gabriel was standing in front of the doors waiting for the perfect moment to storm it and take his brother and Jacks girlfriend into custody. "You brought this on yourself, Li'l Jackie… could've been so much easier." He turned around to his army of skeletal soldiers and robots who were patiently awaiting his orders. "Gentlemen… go to town." The skeletons and robots all shouted simultaneously to show they were ready and then stormed the casino, crashing through the doors and walls.

Jack and Nina could feel the building around them shake as Gabriel's army stormed the casino. "C'mon Jack! They'll be here any minute!" Nina pleaded.

"I'm going as fast as I can here!" Jack shouted as he carefully attached a wire to a circuit board. "This isn't exactly simple."

Up in the main lobby the robots and skeletons were tearing through everything. Turning over slot machines, ripping tables in half, tearing doors right off their hinges, had their been people there they probably would've been slaughtered. It was like a war zone out there and they wouldn't stop the carnage until they found who they were looking for. Gabriel watched with a grin on his face as his army trashed the casino. "Only a matter of time, Li'l Jackie… why don't you just give up now… maybe I can persuade Pride to give you a last request before we imprison you."

At this point Gabriel noticed that a single door remained intact. From what he could tell it led to the security stations and the vault. Gabriel snapped his fingers and about a dozen of his robots and skeletons came to his side. "Go through there." He ordered. "Knowing Li'l Jackie, he'll probably try to invent his way out of this and there's probably tons of tech back there." The robots and skeletons obeyed and ripped the doors opened.

"Crap, they're getting closer." Jack muttered while attaching a few more wires together. "Don't have much time left."

"Just go as fast as you can." Nina said. "I can hold them off for a while if needed."

"Don't bother." Jack said enthusiastically as he attached one more wire and then turned a dial on the side of his machine. It wasn't much, just a large metal ring leaning against the wall with a small consol sitting next to it. As Jack turned the dial a pink and purple vortex appeared within the ring with a thundering boom. "We're out of here!"

Just then three robots came crashing through the doors and started firing off lasers and Gatling guns. Jack called to Nina who dashed for the portal and jumped through it. Jack quickly went back to work, pressing a few buttons and turning a different dial.

"Well, Li'l Jackie… ready to give up?"

Jack froze as the sound of his older brothers voice stabbed at his mind like a knife. "Sorry, Gabriel." Jack said without even turning to face him. "But the second I pass through this portal you won't be able to find me again for a long time."

"Well then I guess you won't be passing through it." Gabriel chuckled. With that Gabriel quickly pulled a revolver from his pocket, aimed it at the portal and pulled the trigger. If that bullet passed through the portal before Jack did then Jack would be trapped there. Gabriel was confident that he'd won, but then Jack did something that Gabriel never would've expected. Jack jumped in the bullets path, took it in the shoulder and the impact threw him back through the portal. When Jack had passed through fully the vortex in the ring vanished and the ring cracked in half, the two pieces falling to the floor.

"Damn it!" Gabriel shouted, turning his revolver to one of the robots and reducing it to scrap with the remaining five bullets. "Pride's going to have my hide for loosing him again."

"Then maybe Pride doesn't find out."

Gabriel didn't need to look to recognize that voice. "And how do you suggest I pull that off, Wrath?" he asked. "Pride sees everything we do. How could I possibly pull something over his eyes?"

The shaggy haired Asian man walked up to the Sin of Sloth, snaked his arm around his shoulders, and punched him in the arm. "Simple." He said. "Pride may see us all the time, but he can't hear jack. I tell him that you're driving Jack my way, that way we both get the glory when he's captured, and we both move up the totem pole, possibly above that bitch Lust."

"You really think that'll work?" Gabriel questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"Would I lie to you?" Wrath chuckled.

"You're a gun slinging psychopath so… yeah, you would."

CAIRO, EGYPT

"I still don't see why that guy wants me to go to Cairo." Mimi said as she flew the Silver Manta Ray over the streets of Cairo, Egypt. Seriously, what could she possibly be looking for in Cairo? Shouldn't she be headed back to China where her friends were most likely headed too? Well, regardless of why she was here Mini felt that the words of the armored man were the only ones she could trust at the moment. So until she found what she was here for, or she got pissed off, whichever came first, she would stay in Cairo.

It was at that moment that Mimi noticed a bold of lightning shoot up from the ground and at an angle. But there wasn't a cloud in the sky and lightning always shot straight down. There was only one explanation she could think of. "Saya?" she mumbled as she turned the Silver Manta Ray towards that location.

Meanwhile, in the streets, Saya stood in the center of a circle made of a crowd of Egyptian people. Just a few minutes earlier some pervert had tried to drag her into an ally, but a well timed blast of lightning knocked some sense into him. Unfortunately, that gave her away and somebody recognized her from a wanted poster. About half a dozen other men attacked her after that but again she easily got rid of them. Now she was just standing there, catching her breath and waiting for someone else to come after her. "C'mon." she breathed. "Anyone else wanna mess with me?" If she could she would've just flash stepped out of there, but the flash step takes a lot of energy which she didn't have at the moment.

Just then a large shadow was cast over her and she heard something like heavy breathing. "All right, tubby, you asked for…" she stopped as she turned around and found no one there. The shadow was coming from above her. She looked up to find the Silver Manta Ray hovering overhead and slowly floating down to land. Saya stepped back, but still avoided the crowd, as the Silver Manta Ray touched down and the cockpit opened up. Saya was overjoyed to see the red headed French girl that she knew all to well. "Mimi!" she called out.

"Hurry up and get in." Mimi called. "We need to get going."

VENICE, ITALY

Rai sighed as he leaned on the railing of the bridge and looked down to the water in the canal below. It had been quite a while since he, Jet, and Jess had left Rome to go to China. He'd been hoping to figure out more about his past but still all he could remember was Kimiko, and he was even starting to forget her face. "Why can't I remember anything?" he asked himself.

Jet and Jess watched their friend sulk from the other side of the bridge. The siblings wished there was something they could do to help him cheer up. Jet had tried various things; everything from reassuring words to having a monkey throw a pie in his face, but none of it seemed to faze him… which was weird because the monkey throwing a pie in his face made Jess, the mellow one, laugh hysterically. Jess, on the other hand, tried the more traditional approach and simply reassured him that everything would come together in time.

"Poor guy." Jet said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Wish there was something we could do for him."

"God has a plan for all of us, Jet." Jess said, clutching the cross hanging on the chain around her neck. "Rai must have lost his memories for a reason… and maybe they could come back any moment."

At that very moment a large shadow was cast over the three of them and some kind of silver jet slowly flew overhead. It eventually turned to its side and lowered to be level with the bridge. The cockpit then opened up to reveal a red head at the controls and a blond sitting next to her. "Rai!" both of the girls jumped from their seats and ran across the wing of the jet to meet Rai at the bridges railing. "C'mon, Rai, we've got to get going." The blond said, grabbing his arm and pulling.

"Do I know you two?" Rai asked, utterly confused.

The two girls froze, completely shocked by what they'd just heard. "Rai, it's us." The red head said. "Mimi and Saya… your friends. Don't you remember?"

"No, actually." Rai said, pulling his arm away from Saya. "I don't remember much of anything."

"You guys know him?" Jet asked as he and his sister walked up to him.

"What's it to you?" Mimi asked.

"Well, as you guys would put it," Jess said, snaking her arm around Rai's shoulders and pulling him closer. "We're his friends too."

"Whatever. All of you just get into the Manta Ray." Saya ordered, pulling Rai and Jess over the railing and onto the Manta Rays wing. "We've got to get to Moscow quickly so we don't have time to screw around." Jet the jumped over the railing and all five of them climbed back into the cockpit before taking off again. Rai still didn't remember anything about these two girls that had just, to put it bluntly, kidnapped him, but for some reason their names did seem familiar to him.

"Maybe they can help me." he mumbled.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA

"Well isn't this a fine kettle of fish." Julia mumbled as she watched the Sin of Gluttony rampage through the crowds in the street from the roof tops. "I'm stuck in Moscow with almost no way of leaving, I could be arrested if anyone sees me, and to top it off one of my mortal enemies is about five stories below me. The only way this could possibly get any worse is if the devil himself decided to burn Moscow to the ground." She paused to think over that last sentence. "On second thought, I guess one of seven devils is already here and trashing the place."

Jewel turned her attention away from Gluttony as she noticed something shiny flying towards her. He couldn't tell what it was at first, but as it got closer and closer she could make out the jet like shape and silver exterior easily. "The Silver Manta Ray?" Sure enough, the Silver Manta Ray was soon hovering over the building she was standing one and was slowly descending to land on top. Soon it had landed and the cockpit swung open to reveal five people inside; three she recognized and two she didn't.

"C'mon, Jewel." Saya called from inside. "Get in. We need to get going."

Jewel smiled, nodded and jumped onto the wing. "So, where are we headed?" She asked as she jumped into the back row of seats with Rai and some guy she didn't recognize with dark hair and sunglasses.

"We're going home." Mimi said as she took hold of the controls and they took off.


	7. Together Again Part 2

Chapter 6: Together Again Part 2

Kimiko sighed with delight as she walked through the streets and took in her surroundings. It wasn't the temple but she was defiantly in China again. Now all she had to do was trek through miles and miles of jungle and mountains until she reached the temple. And, honestly, she had no idea which direction to go. It actually sounded just as bad in her head as it actually was. "All right, where to begin?" Kim asked herself. "I don't suppose the Sins have made maps illegal too…" Then she remembered, "Not that it matters, 'cause I'm broke."

So Kim had no choice but to wander aimlessly through the streets of this city (which she didn't even know the name of). She eventually came across a stand where she lifted a couple apples and a map from. As far as she knew no one noticed or cared.

"Ok, let's see here." She mumbled through a mouth full of apple as she unfolded the map. "It looks like the temple should be northwest of here a few… hundred miles… this is going to suck more than actually fighting the Sins."

"I couldn't agree more." Kim started glancing around, trying to find who had spoken, but she saw no one who she recognized. She knew she recognized the voice though. It sounded a lot like… "Oh, come on! I know I'm short but I find it hard to believe that you can't see me when I'm right in front of you." Kim looked down in front of herself to find…

"Omi!" the Japanese girl dropped to her knees and pulled the little monk into a hug. "I can't tell you how good it is to see a familiar face! Where've you been? Do you know where the others are? Do you have any idea how we can get to the temple from here?"

"In this order." Omi said, pulling himself away from Kim. "I was in South America until I was knocked out and then I woke up here, no, and no."

"Perfect." Kim sighed. "Well… we're alive, and that's all that matters. I hope I can still say the same for the others though." It was all Omi could do to nod in agreement.

The hours passed by and Omi and Kim spent their time catching up, listening to what had happened to each other while they'd been separated. Omi was surprised to hear that Clay's sister had actually helped her out and they both were surprised to learn that the armored man had attacked them both… and at relatively close times no less. They were so focused on their conversation. The first being that people were screaming and running through the streets in other parts of town because a blaze of fire was jetting through the streets and the other being a large shadow jumping over head.

"So, all we can do is walk back to the temple and hope the others are there then?" Omi asked.

"I guess." Kim grumbled. "I wish Dojo were here though. He could just fly us back there in a… few…" That's when she noticed the fire shooting through the streets "I think we have a problem."

"And what's…"

"Get down!" Kim shouted as she dove to the ground, pulling Omi with her, as the fire went by. But this seemed to be what gave them away. As soon as they hit the ground the fire came to a stop and spun around, revealing the fiery skeleton with the flaming motorcycle. "Oh crap. It's seen us."

The skeletal man jumped off of his bike and just glared down to them, the flames surrounding its head quietly crackling like a camp fire. Kim and Omi waited for it to attack or something like that but they didn't expect what it did. It raised its hand and waved at them. Confused out of their minds, the two monks just gawked at it with their heads tilted to one side. The skeleton looked at them questioningly for a moment, but then nodded and reached behind its back. It brought its arms back with the two halves of the Moby Morpher and slammed them together. When taken apart Clay stood in place of the flaming skeleton. "Sorry for the scare." Clay called to them. "Forgot what I looked like for a second there."

"Clay!"

"Not just Clay." Then a small rodent standing on its hind legs and wearing tiny Xiaolin robes jumped onto the Texan's shoulder.

"Hamster?"

"Yes, yes, it's been quite a while since we've last seen each other. But we have no time for formalities right now. You three must return to the temple as quickly as possible." Hamster explained. "With any luck the others are already there."

"Small problem." Kim said. "I doubt that that turbo charged bike of yours can fit us all."

"Ya know, she's got a point." Clay agreed.

"Patience, young monks. Time hold all answers." Hamster reassured them. As it turned out the rodent had impeccable timing, as at that very moment a huge cat-like machine crashed down in the streets near by. "See?"

"Is that the Crouching Cougar?" Omi questioned.

"I'll be a buried treasure chest full of bacon if it's not." Clay said.

The three monks, with Hamster still sitting on Clay's shoulder, ran over to the cougar just as the hatch to the cockpit opened up. Inside sat the petite snappish girl with short brown hair that they all recognized as their good friend Elena. "I thought that was you guys down there." she called to them.

"How'd you get the cougar, Elena?" Omi asked as he and the others climbed into it. "I thought we left this Wu at the temple with Dojo and the rest."

"I've been at the temple for a couple days now." Elena explained. "But now that you mention him I haven't seen Dojo once since I got there."

"Knowing that dragon he's probably hiding in the vault." Kim said. "So what're you doing here of all places anyway, Elena?"

Elena just pointed her thumb to the back seat of the cougar where about ten bags of groceries sat. "The temple ran out of food. I, um, got kinda hungry after living off fist and squirrels for a week."

"Well you don't have nearly enough." Clay said. "The rest of us are starving too. I say we pick up about a hundred more bags."

XIAOLIN TEMPLE

"Well, at least the four of us are back." Clay said as he walked down the hall to the kitchen with the last few backs of groceries in his hands. "Can't believe that no one else is back though." He rounded the corner into the kitchen and set the bags down on the table. As he started putting the food away he noticed something strange out of the corner of his eye. He thought he saw a strange figure standing in the doorway leading outside but when he turned to investigate no one was there. "Yer just paranoid, Clay." He reassured himself.

But when he turned back he felt an arm snake around his neck and a hand secure his arms behind his back. "Don't move, cowboy."

"I suggest ya let go before I hurt ya." Clay threatened.

"Oh…" the person let go of his and moved to his front, remaining extremely close to him. The person wore a brown cloak and hood which hid its face, but the figure quickly reached up to remove the hood and reveal the Chinese girl with a mane of golden blond hair underneath. "I seriously doubt you'd do that, handsome." Saya chuckled.

"Saya!" Clay said excitedly, pulling her into a tight hug. Saya hugged him back and gave him a loving kiss. They remained hugging each other for a bit, just being thankful to be together again. They kissed once more before breaking the silence. "Where've you been all this time?"

"Kenya. I ran into an old… acquaintance there and he helped me get to Cairo where Mimi picked me up in the Silver Manta Ray." Saya explained.

"Mimi's here too?"

Saya nodded. "So are Rai and Julia… and a couple of stowaways that Rai picked up in Rome." Clay gave her a questioning look. "Jet and Jess are friends of Rai's, and they've actually been a big help."

"Meaning?"

"Rai's lost his memory and he probably wouldn't have trusted us if it weren't for them."

"Well… that's a bummer."

MEDITATION HALL

"As glad as I am to be home I have no time to relax." Omi said to himself as he opened the Shen Gong Wu vault and started down the stairs. "I must prepare for the worst… especially that strange man in armor… and listen to me talking to myself, I sound crazy! Then again who wouldn't be crazy after spending a week in a jungle all alone…? I'm still talking to myself, aren't I?" He made his way to the bottom of the vault where the most dangerous Wu were kept. He needed to build an arsenal for the up coming battles, and it need be he needed something that could end it quickly. The Sapphire Dragon or Sleeping Boar would be too bulky to hide and not easily controlled without the Emperor Scorpion. He needed something small but powerful. "I need the Kazusu Atom." But when he opened the drawer it was already gone. "What?"

"I thought I heard you down here."

Omi easily recognized the voice and turned around to find Mimi standing on the step just behind him. Overjoyed, he forgot about what he was doing, jumped into the red heads arms and kissed her. "Mimi! I'm so glad you're all right!"

"It's good to see you too, Shorty." Mimi sighed, hugging him tightly. "But what're you doing down here? You should be upstairs with everyone else."

"The other's are here too?"

"I've at least caught a glimpse of everyone but Rush and Dojo. But back to my question, what're you doing down here?"

Omi just nodded and jumped out of her arms. "We're in the middle of a War, Mimi. If we don't defeat the Sins and any other psychopath that gets in our way of doing so who knows what could happen to the world. We need weaponry, and what better weapons are there than the Shen Gong Wu?"

"Well, good luck with that." Mimi said. "I checked a lot of the drawers on the way down here and a lot of them are missing. And most of them are the good ones too."

"Well that's just great!" Omi said angrily, throwing his hands in the air and leaning back against the wall at the very back of the vault. But as his body hit the bricks the wall crumbled away and Omi fell back into a dark chamber.

"Omi! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My oversized head broke my… fall." He paused and stood up as a few torches inside of the chamber lit up instantly, revealing a secret about the temple that no one had seen in over fifteen hundred years. "Mimi, come take a look at this."

"What is it, Omi?" Mimi asked as she walked up behind him. "What did you… oh my god, it's beautiful."

BED CHAMBERS

"Ugh, I need a nap." Julia sighed as she fell down onto her bed. "Who would've figured that running through the snow in the streets of Moscow would be such a work out?" She got as comfortable as possible and pulled the blankets over herself, intent on getting some rest. As few minutes later she wasn't quite a sleep but she was drowsy enough not to notice Elena groggily stagger into the chamber herself.

"Why am I so tired all of the sudden?" she yawned. "Controlling the Crouching Cougar must be harder than it seemed." With her eyes half closed she made her way to bed. It wasn't until she was already in bed and ready to fall asleep that she realized that somebody else was already there. She opened her eyes to find the Australian girl with long raven black hair lying half asleep next to her. "Jewel? When'd you get here?" Elena asked groggily, but more awake now than she was a few seconds ago.

Jewel's eyes snapped open at the sound of Elena's voice. "Elena, is that you, babe?" she asked sleepily.

Elena just chuckled as she sat up. "Yeah, it's me." she answered. "I'm glad to see you're ok."

"Same here." Jewel said, also sitting up and stretching her arms. "So, is there a reason you just randomly came into my room to get some rest, not that I mind." she asked, wrapping her arm around the other girls waist and leaning her head on her shoulder.

Elena laughed. "Well, I've been here for a while now and this room reminded me of you." Jewel just sighed and scooted closer to her girlfriend. It was quiet for a short time, they just enjoyed the moment while they could. Then an idea popped into Elena's head. "Hey Jewel." She said softly.

"Yeah?" Jewel asked, lifting her head off of Elena's shoulder and looking her in the eyes.

"I love you." Elena whispered before leaning in towards Jewel and pressing their lips together. It was only a few seconds before they pulled apart, smiling and blushing. "Now c'mon." Elena said. "I'm suddenly starving."

TEMPLE GROUNDS

"So, this is where you live, eh?" Jet asked as he, Rai and Jess walked randomly around the temple grounds. "Smells funny."

"Yeah, I guess." Rai said. "I just wish I could remember something about it. I mean, it seems familiar, I just don't know why."

"Now that I think about it we haven't seen that girlfriend you were talking about." Jess pointed out. "You sure this is the right place?"

"I… I don't know… Look, guys, I think I need some time alone." Rai said before walking off. Jet and Jess just watched as he walked away until he'd rounded a corner, leaving their line of sight.

"God, why are you punishing him so?" Jess whispered.

Jet just rolled his eyes. "Please. If anything God's taken pity on him." he said. "Think about it. His entire memory he's lived in the world that the Sin's have created. The rest of us have to live with the memory of how things used to be… if anything he's got it better than any of us."

"Jet…"

Meanwhile Rai was still making his way randomly through the temple ground, just trying to clear his head. He saw so many things that seemed familiar to him but he couldn't remember. The fountain, the training obstacle coarse, the multiple buildings, it was like they were all taunting him, keeping his memories just out of reach. "I'm really starting to hate this place." he grumbled.

Then he found what he was looking for. Kimiko was sitting under the shade of a tree talking to Hamster, who was standing next to her. "Why not." Rai figured. "I've got nothing to loose."

"Look, Hamster, you're the closest thing we've got to Master Fung right now. Most of use will probably look to you for guidance. Are you sure you don't know anything about how to defeat the Sins?" Kim asked the rodent standing next to her.

"I'm afraid not, young monk." Hamster answered. "But as I said before, time holds all answers. You'll figure it out eventually."

"K-Kimiko?"

Kim and Hamster looked up to find Rai standing just a few feet away, looking nervous. "Rai?" Kim questioned in shock.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Hamster said before walking away.

Kim quickly stood up and ran over to Rai, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "Rai! Thank god you're all right! I was so worried…" Rai was motionless at first, but quickly returned her hug and said he felt the same. But his hesitation had already gotten Kim suspicious as she pulled away and gave him a questioning look. "Rai, is something wrong?" she asked. "You seem different."

Rai sighed and lowered his head. "Actually, there is… I can't remember anything, Kim… nothing but you."

Kim just stood there motionlessly starring at him in shock. She didn't know how to react other than just pulling him into another hug and reassuring him. "It's ok, Rai. We'll get your memory back… I'll get your memory back… I promise."

"Aw… what a sweet moment." Wuya chuckled as she watched Rai and Kim from the branches of a nearby tree. "I should ruin it." Just then she noticed the other six monks along with two kids she didn't recognize and that rodent from Wraths tournament walk up to them. "Oh, this is just too perfect. My love will be very pleased with me this time around." With that the Sin of Lust snapped her fingers and she vanished, taking Rai, Kim, Clay, Saya, Omi, Mimi, Julia, and Elena with her and leaving only Jet, Jess, and Hamster behind.

"What the hell just happened?" Jet demanded after the others had just vanished.

"Watch your language, Jet." Jess said.

"This isn't the time for any of your churchy stuff, Sis." Jet argued.

"I suggest you step out of the way." Hamster said.

Jet and Jess barely had time to jump out of the way before the armored man came running passed them and jam his sword into the ground. A portal suddenly opened up in his path. His sword went flying back to him and he grabbed it just before he passed through the portal and it closed behind him.

* * *

(a/n) all right everyones back together (save for Rush who abviously wont be coming back). but it figures that I end that chapter in some kind of disaster. thats just my style, always end with a good cliffhanger. now, a few matters to address. first are the questions: what exactly did Omi and Mimi find in the vault; where did Wuya take the monks; and what is the story with this armored guy? all will be answered soon enough. on another note, if any of you were uncomfortable with Julia and Elenas first kiss, well thats your problem. I waited longer with them than anyone else just so you readers could get used to the idea so theres nothing more I can do. Im going to treat them like everyone else in this story. now that thats out of the way, chapter 7 will be coming soon and it will end part 1. and Im also going to reveal who the armored man is and where Dojo is at the end. Im taking all bets. tell me what you think the answers are to the above questions, but youll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.


	8. Together Again Part 3

Chapter 7: Together Again Part 3

Raimundo, Kimiko, Clay, Saya, Omi, Mimi, Julia, and Elena suddenly found themselves standing in the middle of an arena which Rai knew all to well. The stands that surrounded them were made of large sand stone blocks and large cloth banners with the black and white seven pointed star of the Sins hung all around the edge. There were a few private boxes were more wealthy viewers would've sat. But today the stands were completely empty, save for one colossal man wearing a stone mask sitting in a private box and Wuya sitting next to him. "Welcome to the newly revived Roman Coliseum, kids. We hope you enjoy the show… because you're part of it." Wuya laughed.

"Be ready for anything, guys." Rai said. "The coliseum has become infamous since Gluttony brought it back. I've seen people go in to watch the games… the ones who sat in the front row usually were covered in blood when they left."

"Thanks for the warning." Kim said. "Have you ever actually seen these games?"

"I've been living on the streets with a couple of orphans for the passed week." Rai said. "What do you think?"

"Don' matter if you've seen 'em or not." Clay broke in. "Yer about to experience 'em first hand."

Four steel gates around the walls of the arena slowly began to creak open and low growling could be heard from within. "Something tells me those aren't house cats in there." Mimi growled.

"I doubt it's your ordinary lion or tiger either." Omi added.

"Relax, guys." Julia tried to reassure them. "We've been through worse than this and lived.

"Only because the Sin's let us last time." Elena pointed out. "But this time they want blood… and for the most part the Sins get what they want."

"So anybody got any bright ideas?" Saya asked.

And then the beasts showed themselves. Four huge lion like creatures that snorted fire with a second goat like head and a serpentine tail with a snakes head at the end. The four chimeras padded their way into the arena, eyeing the monks with a blood lust and licking their lips, knowing that it was feeding time.

"Just try not to die." Rai advised.

Gluttony raised his club into the air and then slammed it to the ground with a thundering clap. The chimeras roared and looked up to where Gluttony and Lust sat. All eyes except for Gluttony's were now on Wuya who was grinning devilishly as she watched the chimeras circle around the monks. Only one thing was on her mind at the moment: "Time to end their good for nothing lives… **LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!**"

The four chimeras leapt at them with their claws extended and their fangs bared. The monks scattered, dashing off in separate directions. This was going to be one hell of a fight and loosing wasn't an option.

One of the chimeras skidded across the floor and turned around to find Omi and Julia directly in its line of sight. The goat head glared at them while the lion head growled and drooled as it stalked closer to them. Omi began to glance around, trying to find anything he could use as a weapon. There was nothing. Then something in his head clicked and he stretched out his arms and opened his hands. Instantly water appeared out of nothing and froze into the shape of a sword and a spear.

"How'd you…" Julia began.

"No time." Omi snapped, shoving the spear into her hand. "Just don't let it blast fire on these and we should be fine."

Omi charged at it, leaving Julia behind. The goat and lion heads both caught sight of him and tried to torch him as he ran. But Omi jumped over the jets of fire and landed on its back. Unfortunately he'd forgotten about the tail which was now eyeing him hungrily, flicking its tongue to taste his sent. The snake head lunged at him but Omi side stepped it and slashed his ice sword across its side. The snake head shrieked, wrapped itself around him and then threw him to the ground behind it. The chimera turned around so the lion and goat heads could deal with Omi while the snake head dealt with Julia.

Julia gripped her spear tightly as the snake caught her sent on its tongue. It lunged at her with its fangs extended. When it was close enough Julia swung her spear and knocked the fangs right out of its jaw. Again the snake shrieked but its pain was short lived as the fangs quickly grew back and it came at her again. Julia jumped out of the way and threw her spear at it as it crashed into the ground. The spear pierced its neck and sailed right through it, stabbing into the ground on the other side. It ignored that it now had a hole going through its throat and went after her again. Julia jumped at the last second, landing on its head and jumping again. She landed on the other side and grabbed her spear from the ground, turning around just in time to catch the snake's mouth with the spear and get it in a deadlock. They struggled for a while, trying to get the upper hand, but then Julia pulled her spear back, again ripping the fangs out of its mouth. She jumped into the air and threw her spear at its neck again, this time it stuck and pinned the snake to the ground, leaving it to shriek and struggle in vain.

Meanwhile Omi was still struggling with the two remaining heads. The goat head blasted him with fire, forcing him to jump to one side. The lion head nearly caught him but Omi managed to jump back and slash at it, leaving a gash on its nose. The lion head roared in pain and blasted fire his way again. Omi managed to jump over it and land right between the lions eyes. He stabbed his sword right between its eyes, causing the eyes to roll back in its head. He then manifested another sword and threw it in the goat's direction, catching it right in the jugular. The chimera fell to the ground, dead, giving Omi and Julia the win.

Clay slammed his fists against the wall behind him causing the sandstone to crumble from the wall and form armor on his body. The chimera before him roared and jumped at him but Clay ran under it and jumped onto its back from behind. The snake head lashed out at him but pulled back when it was blinded by two handfuls of sand thrown by Mimi. The snake shrieked and started flinging its head around randomly. Barely able to avoid it, Clay jumped back to the ground and hit the wall again. This time a long javelin like rock fell to the ground next to him. "Mimi, catch!" he shouted before throwing it to her. Mimi caught the weapon in mid air, slashed it across the snake's underbelly and then headed for the lion and goat heads.

The lion had blasted a jet of fire at Clay who ran through it, protected by his rock armor, then jumped into the air and slammed his fist into the beasts jaw. It roared and tried to catch him in its mouth but Clay landed on top of its head and jumped off as the goat head blasted fire at him. The fire missed him completely but torched the lion head to a crisp. Clay landed on the ground again and the gat head continued blasting at him but failed to notice Mimi running on its back until it was too late and she stabbed her spear into the back of its neck. The gat heat cried in pain and then tried stabbing at her with its horns, but Clay ran up to it and punched it under its jaw, driving the spear deeper into the back of its neck and killing it.

Just as the two thought they'd won the snake head came at them again, but was quickly taken care of when Mimi swung around and kicked its head and it fell limp.

Saya threw two bolts of lightning at the snake head as it lashed out at her but they were easily avoided. The snake came at her with its mouth open and its fangs bared and ready to stab though her. But before it could strike Rai came flying in from nowhere and knocked it out of the way. Apparently he'd rediscovered his ability to fly and was loving it. Saya then blasted more lightning at the snake, this time striking it. The snake fell to the ground, twitching slightly but for the most part paralyzed. But then just like that the beast swung around and they had the remaining two heads to worry about. Both heads blasted fire at them, the goat aiming for Saya while the Lion tried to catch Rai in the air.

Rai flew around the jet of fire from the lion and then dove straight at it. The lion head lashed out and snapped its jaw at him but Rai dodged it again but getting hit by lightning instead. "Watch where you're shooting, girl!" Rai shouted to Saya.

"Sorry!" Saya called back. "The stupid goat won't hold still." The goat head dove down at her, ramming into the ground as she jumped over it and landed on its back. Thinking quickly she grabbed onto the horns and sent electricity coursing through them, zapping the goat head until dead.

Meanwhile Rai continued to avoid the lion head in mid air as it snapped and breathed fire at him. Suddenly struck by an idea, he flew down and landed just in front of the wall. "Hey, Simba!" he called, getting the chimeras attention. The beast roared and leapt at him but Rai flew out of the way at the last second and it crashed into the wall. The chimera went limp and fell to the ground.

That just left one more of the three headed beasts to deal with. Kim stood her ground as both the lion and goat heads blasted fire at her. She caught the blasts in her hands and threw it back at them, the lion head cancelling it out with more fire but the goat head taking it full force. "I don't have time for this." She grumbled before clapping her hands together and her entire body was engulfed in fire. "Who's ready to burn?"

Meanwhile Elena was having enough trouble handling the snake head. The snake lashed out at her but Elena managed to jump onto its back. The snake turned around and went after her again, forcing Elena to run up its tail on onto the chimeras back. It lunged at her again with its fangs bared but she slid back down the scaly body. The snake pulled back just before biting into itself and turned around to follow her again, but as it did she came out of nowhere and kicked the fangs right out of its mouth, catching them both out of the air and holding them like daggers. Its fangs quickly grew back and it went for her, but instead or running she went as it as well, stabbing one fang into its eye and landing on its back again. The snake shrieked in pain as it was infected by its own poison but wasn't about to give up. Elena slide down its back again as it followed her, turning around at the last minute and stabbing her remaining fang right into its mouth, amazingly avoiding its fangs. Elena jumped back to the ground as the snake fell to the ground dead.

The goat head, now horribly scared after being hit by its own fire, went to ram Kim with its horns but she jumped onto its neck, catching what remained of its hair on fire, and then driving her flaming fist onto the top of its head, catching all but the horns on fire. The goat head shrieked and started flailing around randomly as it was engulfed in fire. The lion head, obviously annoyed by this, blasted its own fire at the already flaming goat head, cancelling out both flames. Then, knowing that it was just carrying dead weight now, it closed its jaw around the dead goats neck and ripped the head off, tossing it aside.

Kim was shocked by what the lion head had just done and lost her balance, falling back to the ground. The lion turned back to her, growling and glaring, before blasting fire at her again. Thinking quickly, Kim protected herself by blasting back. The two jets of fire stopped each other on contact but were now caught trying to over power one another in mid air. Kim new that she was going to be out done quickly but didn't know how to end it without burning to death first. Then it hit her! She stopped her fire and then slid down to the ground, rolled under the chimera's fire as it went blazing over her, jumped into the air and threw a huge fire ball directly at the lion heads throat. It roared as its throat caught fire and the blaze slowly spread to the rest of the head and then the body. It wasn't long before it was nothing more than a blazing heap on the ground.

Wuya slammed her fist on the railing of her and Gluttony's private box. "Damn! I was sure those beast could've taken them!" She yelled as she glared down to the arena where the monks were now regrouping with the four dead chimeras lying around them. She sighed. "No matter. They've been distracted long enough. I'm sure that not even that blasted rodent could take care of the army I've hired.

"Wuya!" she looked down to them again. It was Omi who had called her. "Come down here and face us! It's time to end this once and for all!"

Wuya simply laughed. "Oh, no child. My end is nowhere near close." She called. "Yours, however, is just about to begin."

"Not if I have anything to say about it, Lust!"

No one knew where the voice had come from. But it wasn't long before a portal opened above one of the dead chimeras and the armored man stepped through. Wuya recognized him immediately. "You!"

The armored man summoned his katana and pointed it to her. "I've waited a long time to see you again… and even longer to finally get another chance to destroy you." He said before turning to the kids. "Go through the portal, now!" Kim tried to argue, but the armored man wasn't going to have any of it. "I said go! The world needs the eight of you more than it needs me!"

"Why should we listen to you?" Kim shouted. "You tried to kill me!" She wanted to say more she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kim, listen to him." Rai said. "He wants us alive and, honestly, I know we can't take two of the Seven Sins… not now anyway." Kim glared at him and wanted to argue, but knew he was right. She nodded to him and together they ran to and jumped through the portal, quickly followed by the others. The portal closed as the last of them passed through.

"All right." The armored man said. "Now it's just the three of us."

Gluttony grabbed his club and started to rise, but Wuya pushed him back. "You sit this one out, Gluttony… he's mine."

The armored man nodded and jumped into the air with his sword in both hands and raised over his head, ready to plunge it into the Sin of Lust's chest.

XIAOLIN TEMPLE

They passed through the portal just as the armored man had told them but couldn't believe what they saw on the other side. It couldn't have been more than an hour since Wuya had forced them to the Roman Coliseum to battle the chimeras but so much damage had been done in that time. The smell of burning wood and stone overwhelmed them and the sudden heat was almost too much to bear so quickly. There before the eight monks were Jet, Jess, and Hamster, looking onto the temple as it burned to the ground.

The three turned back to the eight. Jet's fists were clinched tightly, tears streamed down Jess' cheeks, and Hamster hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry." Hamster said. "There's nothing we could've done."

LOCATION UNKNOWN

"Sloth!" Pride shouted. Gabriel Spicer suddenly appeared in the center of the conference chamber facing Prides throne.

"Pride! How's my favorite overlord of the earth? Have you lost weight?" Gabriel laughed. Pride simply glared at him, his eye turning red under his blindfold. "Not the time for jokes, gotcha."

"Is the machine complete?" Pride asked.

The Sin of Sloth scratched the back of his head and nodded. "Yeah." He sighed. "The robots got it done quick, just like you asked. But I keep telling you, without a targeting system and a sample of their Chi it won't work."

"Which is exactly why I had you and Envy collect those." Pride retorted. "Come forth, Envy. And bring our honored guest."

Rush suddenly appeared next to Gabriel holding a bird cage in one hand. Inside of the cage, holding onto and shaking the bars, was Dojo Kanojo Cho, the Xiaolin Monks shape shifting dragon. "This is crazy, Rush!" Dojo shouted. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"My job." Rush replied.

"Bring me the beast." Pride ordered. Rush presented the cage to his master who eyed it carefully. "Do you know why I've brought you here, dragon?" he asked.

"I'm guessing Lao Mang Lon Soup is involved." Dojo said.

Pride chuckled. "Hardly." He said. "You are going to have the esteemed honor of helping us track down those who we seek."

"And they would be?"

"The Seven Holy Virtues. The only people in this world that even have a chance of destroying us… Sloth, take it and hook it up to the machine. And I suggest you capture your brother quickly, or else hope we happen upon another Virtue shortly."

Just as Pride had finished speaking and Gabriel had disappeared Wuya suddenly appeared in his place with a smug look on her face. "I come bearing excellent news, love."

"This had better be good for you to think you are excused from calling me Lord Pride." Pride growled, his eyes turning red again.

"Oh, it's better than good… bring him in, Gluttony." Gluttony appeared next to her with the armored man standing before him in chains. "My lord, I present to you the Virtue of Chastity."

Pride immediately rose from his throne and stepped down to examine him. "If what you say is true then we are one step closer to achieving our goal." He said as he turned the armored mans helmet and turned it to one side. "Yes, this is truly one of them. Now we have two within our grasp."

"Two?" Rush questioned.

"It is only a matter of time before we capture that insect Spicer." Wuya explained. "Now I suggest you stick around for the unveiling, kid. You'll just love who's hiding under the helmet."

"Yes." Pride agreed. "Let's take a look at my old foes face… it's been a long time, hasn't it…?" Pride clenched his fist and slammed it against the mans helmet, shattering the steel and revealing the bald Asian man of legend inside. "… Dashi."

End Part 1: The Reunion

(a/n) now who expected that? Dashi was the armored man all along, the temple has been completely destroyed (again) and the people that the Sins have been looking for have finally been revealed to be the Seven Holy Virtues. I smell epicness, dont you? Ive revealed 3 virtues so far: Dashi as chastity, Jack is unknown, and raven is unknown. the other four will reveal themselves soon enough. now, a few things you should expect soon. the next few chapters will chronical events that happen around the world over the next 3 months (in the story) involving the monks, the sins, Chase, Hannibal, and various outposts of the rebellion. but that will only last a few chapters and Ill have the next big even coming soon enough. long story short, something is going to go boom.

P.S. sorry I havent updated any of my other stories lately, I just wanted to get this done. One Champion is next on my list.


	9. All Down Hill From Here

Part 2: The Rebellion

Chapter 8: All Down Hill from Here

The eleven of them, Raimundo, Kimiko, Clay, Omi, Saya, Mimi, Julia, Elena, Jet, Jess, and Hamster all stared at the smoking piles of ash that had once been the Xiaolin Temple. Most of them just couldn't believe it. Jet and Jess, though this wasn't the same for them, knew what it was like to loose a home and sympathized with them. But for the most part Omi seemed to be hit by this the hardest. Omi stepped forward and kneeled at the nearest pile of ash, digging his hands in and pulled them back out only to have the ashes fall through his fingers like sand. He clinched his fists tightly and turned away from the others so they couldn't see the tears running down his cheeks. "Now they pay." He growled.

"Omi…" Mimi said.

"Don't even start." Omi snapped, standing up. "You all have homes to return to… and those of you who don't have been living on your own for the most part to begin with… Me? This temple is all I've ever known… Those bastards have taken my home and the man who's acted like a father to me… and now they've taken everything that's kept me from tearing them limb from limb."

For some reason no one else noticed, but as Omi's rage built Saya noticed a dark aura surround his body and a black spot appear on the back of his head. The spot quickly began to branch out like tentacles… it was almost like a living tattoo. "Omi, I understand how you feel." She said. "We all do." As she spoke the spot and aura began to vanish. "We may not be as angry about this as you but we all want to get back at them for this. And we're going to… I promise." Just then she noticed Jess shaking her head. They glanced at each other and knew what each other was thinking. They'd talk later.

Omi just glared at his sister before turning to Jet, Jess and Hamster. "Who did this?" he demanded.

"Some Asian guy with a lot of guns and a skinny guy with red hair and an army." Jet answered. "We couldn't do a thing to stop them… they even overpowered your guard."

"Guard?" Kim asked.

"Oh crap, I forgot about him." Elena said, snapping to attention. She then pulled the Emperor Scorpion out of her pocket and latched it onto her arm. "Emperor Scorpion!" With a thundering roar Mala Mala Jong suddenly burst out of the ashes, jumped into the air and landed next to everyone. "That armored guy we saw at the coliseum helped me build this guy as a guard for the temple… don't look like it helped much though." Jong lowered its head and made a pouting noise.

"So where do we go now?" Rai asked, trying to ignore the big flaming monster made of Shen Gong Wu. "We really don't have any place to stay now."

Omi stood up and began walking through the ashes. "Help me find the vault. I hope I know the answer, Raimundo."

Not much later Elena had Jong throw a large pile of burned bricks and wood out of the way to reveal the entrance to the vault still open. Amazingly the fire hadn't spread inside there and everything was still in tact. Omi jumped in and began to make his way to the bottom and the others followed after him. At the bottom of the vault they found the hole in the wall that Omi and Mimi had made earlier. "In there." Omi said.

"You really think it's safe in there, Omi?" Mimi asked.

"As safe as any other place we could go." Omi answered.

"What're you guys talking about?" Kim asked as she followed them into the hole only to gasp at what she found on the inside. One by one the others followed after her only to have the same reaction.

It was beautiful, almost like a painting. There beneath the temple, undisturbed for who knows how long, was a wide grassy plain. They could see a forest off in the distance, surrounding them on all sides, there were streams throughout the area leading into a lake in the distance and there were even mountains in the background. It wasn't long before they noticed animals around them; squirrels, birds, rabbits, insects, deer and even foxes. It was a land untouched by human hands for centuries.

"What is this place?" Jess asked.

"I remember reading about a place like this once in the library." Omi answered. "A garden, untouched by man. No evil may enter this place and no darkness other than the night sky will dwell within it. It is truly a paradise… We will make our home here for now."

KENYA

"You are sure your people do not question their chief taking a stranger up a mountain that has been forbidden to them for centuries." Chase asked as he and Chief made their way up the mountain path. For the past few days Chase and Chief had been discussing what to do about the worlds little problem (along with reminiscing about their past). After arguing about it for hours Chase convinced Chief to take him to where Pride had been imprisoned.

"I've led these people for over fifteen hundred years and I was the one who forbid them to trek this mountain in the first place." Chief answered. "They do not question my authority."

"So tell me, how exactly was it that Pride was released." Chase said.

Chief stopped walking and lowered his head. "You already know part of the story I'm sure. It was Grand Master Dashi, Guan, you and myself all those years ago who battled and defeated Pride with the aid of the Seven Holy Virtues. After that Dashi had Pride and another demonic being imprisoned atop this mountain, leaving me to guard it. For fifteen hundred years I lead these people wisely, strictly enforcing our law that none shall set foot on this mountain… well one day, not long ago, a young and foolish boy broke our law. He slipped passed the guards and made his way up to the peak, hoping to find some magic that could cure an illness of the girl that he loved. He found the two altars at the peak of the mountain and broke the seal on one… releasing Pride from his prison. Pride was released in a blazing green hellfire and flew away… and the boy was banished for his idiocy."

"So, once again the ultimate evil is released by young love." Chase sighed. "Just like every other story in modern society."

"I could not agree with you more." Chief agreed.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the summit. There, just as Chief had said, were two stone altars waiting for them. The first was in the shape of Pride back when he still wore his eagle head shaped helmet. He was kneeling down on one knee and holding the opposite hand out. Sitting at the base of the altar were two halves of a round stone, broken when Pride had escaped. The second altar was very similar only it was an unnamed woman whose round stone was still in her hand in one piece though cracked deeply.

"Is there a story behind this altar I'm unaware of?" Chase asked.

"Just another damned soul that I took care of personally." Chief explained. "After Prides escape and the boy's banishment she too was almost released by the boy's lover… but we got to her before she could go through with it and she too is gone."

"I see…"

"So what are we looking for?" Chief questioned.

"You said yourself that these stones held Pride for fifteen hundred years and only let him free when this tone broke." He bent down and fingered the two halves of the round stone. "I want to know what exactly it was that held Pride here. Being as powerful as he is it must've taken a great magic to hold him down for so long… who made these stones?"

"A witch doctor of my tribe who died centuries ago." Chief explained. "He was said to be the Virtue of Humility at that time."

"So… his opposite could weaken and imprison him but not destroy him." Chase mumbled, moving to the other altar. "Why do you suppose that is, Chief?"

"When Pride was defeated the first time he took five of the other six Sins with him, leaving Lust behind because she was still alive. Humility alone could not destroy Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth and Envy so he went with what he could do and imprisoned them, only able to hope that they were never released."

"So much for that fantasy." Chief said. "Curiosity or desperation gets all of us sooner or later. It was amazing that I kept these people in line for as long as I did."

"It doesn't matter how long you kept them in line." Chase snapped. "The fact of the matter is you didn't **keep** them in line. The Sins have been released and in less than a year's time this world is going to die… If that happens then I can't rule it, which means I'm not about to let that happen." Chase walked over to Chief and offered his hand to the elderly man. "Are you in, or should I give you a long over due death?"

"You couldn't kill me even if I wanted you to." Chief chuckled. "And as much as I disagree with your motives, your goal is for the good of the world." Chief grabbed Chase's hand firmly and shook it. "I'm in."

"Excellent… **FLASH STEP!**" And with that they vanished, unaware that the surge of energy from the flash step had cracked the stone in the female statues hand completely. It wasn't explosive or flashy as Pride's escape had been; it was quiet and inconspicuous. A simple purple haze rose from the statue and blew away with the wind as an ominous laugh filled the air.

LOCATION UNKNOWN

Wuya had Dashi in chains, leading him down into the darkness of her dungeon with an evil grin on her face. Dashi refused to look her in the eye let alone speak to her. Wuya actually found this amusing. Fifteen hundred years ago she would've been on the opposite end of that chain refusing to look Dashi in the eye. But now it was Dashi who was at her mercy… and she was going to milk this for all it was worth.

"So how does it feel, Dashi?" Wuya jeered. "To be on the other end of the chains for once?"

"Not that bad, actually." Dashi said.

"Excuse me?"

"I've waited fifteen hundred years for this very moment, Wuya." Dashi explained. "I could break these chains any time I wanted and you know that. Why do you think I don't?" Wuya kept silent, honestly not having an answer. "Because I don't want to fight you and you don't want to fight me. **Our** enemy is Pride. I want to stop him in order to save the world, and you want to over throw him so you can have the world for yourself… I can see it in your eyes. You don't want to work for Pride… you just want him to do the dirty work."

Wuya just glared at him, suddenly loathing him more than she ever had before. Then she grinned and began laughing darkly. "Of course I want him to do the dirty work for me! Why do you think I'm sleeping with him? I need Pride to trust me so that he won't watch me. And if he doesn't watch me then I am free to do all my planning… What exactly would you do to defeat Pride anyway? You're the Virtue of Chastity, not Humility. You could do no more to Pride than young Raimundo did in his pitiful attempt to stop him."

"You're right." Dashi agreed. "I can't do a thing to Pride… but it's only a matter of time before the seven of us are reunited and the seven of you will be sorry."

Wuya just glared at him and pulled on the chain, forcing him down the hall again. "I think it's about time that you joined our other prisoner." She growled.

"So Pride didn't keep his end of the bargain after all." Dashi chuckled. "Envy won't be happy to hear about that."

"You know what just occurred to me?" Wuya asked, deciding to change the subject. "You and I never actually broke up back then… I just left to join Pride." The next thing Dashi knew Wuya had pinned him against the wall with one hand pressing against his chest while the other pulled the chain tighter, causing him to choke slightly. "Consider this a farewell gift…" Then she leaned in and kissed the monk. It was brief and there was no connection between them other than hatred and loathing, but it was a kiss nonetheless. Wuya pulled away and then spat to the ground, making a grimacing face as if she'd just ate a bug or something. "… because the next place you're going to see me is in hell." And with that she threw open a near by cell door and pushed Dashi inside, not bothering to remove the chain.

The Sin of Lust disappeared before Dashi even had time to stand and glare at her through the bars. It was then that he noticed the second prisoner. Raven looked over to him, pushing some of her now extremely messy hair out of her eyes before turning back to looking down at the floor. "I see." Dashi said. "You are Kindness." Raven nodded.

There was a long silence between the two, Dashi not speaking because he did not know what to say and Raven not speaking because she did not have the ability to. Still, Dashi couldn't help but smile at this new situation. By bringing him and Raven together they had reunited two of the Seven Holy Virtues, which put them one step closer to defeating the Sins once and for all. He turned to Raven again who was still staring down at the floor, but now a golden aura was showing faintly around her body. "So…" Dashi said nonchalantly. "…you got a deck of cards or something?"

BEJING, THREE MONTHS LATER

The darkness of the night sky hung over the city as the three shadowy figures silently moved over the roof tops. In the distance was their target… the Sin of Lust's palace. It wasn't far away now, just over one hundred yards or so. The leader of the three, a short but rather large man dressed as a ninja stopped and gazed at the palace and his two comrades stopped behind him. Both of them also dressed as ninjas but were taller than their leader and both wore sunglasses. The leader turned back to his companions and slipped a large iron gauntlet, with circuitry visible on some parts of it, over his hand. He nodded to them and they pulled out similar gauntlets. They all then pulled on metallic boots, also with visible electronics, and turned back to the palace. "She should've known better than to take Hong Kong from me." the leader growled. "Now I'm going to take all of China from her… and these electronic copies of the Shen Gong Wu should help out nicely… let's get moving."

"Right, boss." The two lackeys said before following their boss over more roof tops.

Not five minutes later the three had easily scaled the walls around Lust's palace and were now silently maneuvering their way though the halls, taking out any guards that got in their way.

This was actually the farthest any resistance movement had gotten to their target. True, assassins had gotten close before, like when Gluttony was almost taken out in Moscow. But this time they took a more inconspicuous approach and it was working. No one, absolutely no one, had gotten this close to a Sin with the intention of killing them and was still around to tell the tale.

The leader slammed his gauntlet against the back of a guards head and the guard fell to the ground. He motioned for the other two to follow. They were close to their target now, he could feel it.

It wasn't long before they found a large set of double doors, obviously leading into the Sin of Lust's bed chamber. The leader stopped on one side while the other two moved to the other side and waited for his signal. He held up one hand with all five fingers extended and began to pull each finger down one by one. When all five were down they all moved at the door and slammed their gauntlets into them, knocking the doors to the ground. As they'd expected there was a long hallway behind the doors which lead to the real room. "Good. She might not have woken up then." The leader mumbled.

They moved silently down the hall and tried opening the doors at the other end. Locked. The leader motioned for one of his companions to move forward. He one pulled another electronic weapon, this one in the shape of a star. The star began glowing white hot and he slashed it over the lock on the door.

The leader pushed open the door silently and moved into the darkness of the room. He glanced around but was unable to see anything outside of the light from the hallway. "Well, if we can't find her we'll do this the old fashion way… burn everything." He ordered.

"I don't think so." the lights suddenly flashed on and the three found themselves surrounded by golem guards with the Sin of Lust standing before them. "My, my… this is defiantly the most successful assassination attempt on one of the Sin's thus far. I commend you for your skills… but now you die."

The golem guards went to attack the three but the two underlings moved in front of their leader and threw smoke bombs to the ground, disappearing in the sudden haze. Wuya just rolled her eyes and summoned a small green fire in her hand. The fire showed the face of another golem guard that was somewhere else. "Would you be so kind as to set a price on the heads of Panda Bubba and his two lackeys?" the golem guard in the fire nodded. "Thank you."


	10. Prides Escape

(a/n) heres a chapter Ive been wanting to do for a long time now, Rushs origin story. be prepared to not believe it... muhahaha!

* * *

Chapter 9: Pride's Escape

"This is crazy, Rush! You're one of the good guys!" Dojo yelled from inside his cage. Rush sat on the ground next to Dojo as he watched Sloth's robots make final preparations for the machine Dojo was supposed to be connected to.

"I was once, Dojo." Rush said. "But I'm not anymore… I'm a Sin, one of Pride's puppets… I'm one of humanity's ultimate mistakes… I am Envy."

Dojo just glared at him for a bit before turning away. "So, you sold your soul to the devil… I guess I'll just have to come to terms with that. But what I want to know now is why."

Rush turned his gaze to the tiny dragon in the cage. "You want to know why?" he questioned. "Fine… but it's a long story." Dojo turned back to him and Rush also turned his body to the dragon to make eye contact. "It all started about a year ago… back when I was still home… in Kenya…"

KENYA, ONE YEAR EARLIER

"I'm sorry, boys, but you are not yet old enough to go hunting with the others." Chief said to the two young men before him. "You'll have to wait until you are fifteen, like everyone else." Zofu and his friend Rush, as he liked to call himself, had always been impatient boys. Rush was about a head taller than the Chief and had short curly hair. Zofu was actually the tallest person in their village despite being so young and had no hair because he shaved his head. Today the boys had come into the Chiefs hut and asked to go hunting with the other men for the day. Unfortunately for them the Chief had a strict age policy when it came to hunting, you had to be fifteen or you were out of luck.

"Oh come on!" Zofu argued. "What about my brother? He got to go when he was three years younger than I am now."

"A rare exception." Chief said. "Have you forgotten that it was also your brother that single handedly saved out village from a pride of lions?"

"No sir…" the boys groaned.

"Good. Now go have fun while you can." Chief said, grinning. "Being grown up isn't all it's cracked up to be. I should know, I've been grown up for over fifteen hundred years!"

"Please, he can't be over sixty." Rush whispered to Zofu once they were safely outside of the Chief's hut. They made their way back to Rush's family hut. The inside was decorated with many animal skins and bones. There were some pots sitting around filled with various berries and nuts and water. And then, of course, there were the spears hung up on the wall which Rush's father used for hunting before he died.

Rush splashed some water on his face and then lied down on the lion skin he used for a bed. "Who does that old guy think he is anyway, telling us what we can and can't do like that." he complained.

"He thinks he's the Chief." Zofu said sarcastically. "And you really need to respect him more. You may disagree on stuff, but he really does know what's best for us… especially you, considering that both your parents are dead."

"Ok, so he's been like a father to me ever since the lion attack a few years ago." Rush said. "He's still just an old crone."

"Bad mouthing the Chief again, are we?"

Rush and Zofu both looked over to the entrance to find another friend of theirs walking in. It was Raven, another youngster that Chief had taken under his wing after the lion attack as well as, as Zofu subtly pointed out as often as possible (much to Rush's annoyance), Rush's long time crush.

"Hey, Raven. What's going on?" Zofu asked.

"Chief just asked me to keep an eye on you two… make sure you don't do anything foolish." Raven explained.

"You're kidding, right?" the boys asked.

"Am I ever?"

"I thought you were supposed to be our friend." Rush joked.

"I am. And as your friend I'm supposed to make sure you don't do anything stupid or foolish like, say, go hunting even though Chief said no." Raven retorted.

"Besides, you've always wanted her to be more than a friend anyway, Rush." Zofu said nonchalantly with a mouth full of berries.

"Zofu, I swear, if you don't shut up I'll…"

"Oh, calm down, Rush." Raven broke in. "We both know he's just joking."

"She said casually despite knowing that it was all true." Zofu added, earning him a glare from both of his friends.

"Can I kick his ass now?" Rush asked.

"I'll join you." Raven said.

Half and hour later, after chasing Zofu around the village with spears fifteen times, the three returned to Rush's hut to get some rest. "You guys… are both crazy." Zofu panted as he sat down. Rush didn't seem to have the energy to reply and just plopped down on his lion skin bed, falling asleep almost instantly. By the time Raven was there Zofu had fallen asleep as well. Raven just shook her head and lied down in between them, soon sleeping as well.

Raven awoke some time later at the sound of a woman screaming in the distance. It was dark out now. She sat up and glanced around franticly. Rush and Zofu were gone… and so were the spears on the wall.

"Raven! There you are." She turned to the door to Find Chief standing there with his spear in hand.

"Chief, what's going on?" Raven asked. "Where are Rush and Zofu?"

"Lions are attacking the village again." Chief explained. "The Boys are out fighting with the other men as we speak. Just stay here and keep quiet and you should be safe." Raven nodded and then Chief left to join the fight.

Raven remained in Rush's hut for hours, listening to the battle outside. The screaming of the women, the battle cries of the men, the roars of the lions, and the sound of spears and claws stabbing into flesh. It was horrifying. She could barely stand to hear it and she was more than thankful she didn't have to see it. Raven just wasn't a fighter, plain and simple. And it wasn't just because girls didn't learn how to wield a spear in their tribe, she just didn't have the heart to take a life or even watch a life being taken.

A small scream escaped Raven's lips as she hears a roar coming from behind her. She turned around to make sure nothing was there but she was disappointed when she saw the shadow of a man with a spear stabbed through a lions head. She shuddered and turned back to the doorway only to freeze at what she saw.

Where Chief had stood only hours before a lioness now stood, gazing at her with hunger in its eyes.

Raven and the lioness just sat there staring at each other, Raven's jaw quivering and the lioness licking its lips. Raven knew this wasn't going to end well and she started to back away slowly, making sure not to make any sudden moves. Then her back hit the wall and she suddenly realized that she was trapped. The lioness took a single step forward and Raven's life suddenly started flashing before her eyes. She saw the day she was born, the first time she met Rush and Zofu, the lion attack a few years ago when her parents were killed, the day Chief took her in like a daughter, and she even relived these last few horrifying minutes with the lioness glaring at her.

Raven snapped out of her trance to find the lioness lying before her, dead, with a bloody spear sticking out of its side. She looked up to find Rush standing in the doorway. "Raven, are you all right?" he asked. She nodded and he helped her to her feet, pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're safe." He whispered.

"Hey, guys." Zofu said as he stuck his head in the door. "You've got to see this!" Rush and Raven both nodded and followed their friend outside. All around the village the living lions running away. A hero had arrived at the village… a pale skinned, golden haired girl with the ability to wield lightning.

"My people," Chief called out to the village with the blond standing next to him. "I give you the hero who drove the beasts from out village!" The people of the tribe cheered for her, chanting her name, Saya, over and over again. "Saya has traveled far from the east. And to show our gratitude to her she will stay with us for a time. Please, welcome her with open arms and treat her as one of our own."

Everyone watched as Chief and Saya made their way into Chief's hut, but once they were out of sight the entire tribe scattered to their own homes. Rush had made it half way back to his own hut when he was suddenly pulled to the side. Raven had pulled him in between two random huts for some reason but when he tried to ask why she simply shook her head, smiled and pulled him into a hug. She just smiled and stared at him for a while, seeming to confuse Rush, but then she closed her eyes and leaned in, pressing her lips lightly against his. They remained there for a while, kissing in the moonlight, completely unaware of anybody passing by (which coincidentally included Zofu). And some time later they separated, resting their foreheads against the others and smiling.

Raven then tried to say something, but only succeeded to mouth the words. Rush just looked at her, confused, and Raven got the same look. "What was that? I couldn't hear you." Rush said. Raven tried speaking again, but again she could only mouth the words. She let go of Rush and took a few steps back, pressing her fingers to her throat and shaking her head. She opened her mouth and tried screaming as loud as she could but again there was no sound. "This is bad…" Rush said. He then grabbed Raven's hand and pulled her back out into the main street. "C'mon. Chief will know what's wrong."

They quickly ran to Chief's ten and barged in, unaware that Chief and Saya were having a conversation. "Chief! We have a problem!" Rush said urgently.

Chief nodded to them and turned back to Saya. "Would you mind stepping outside, please?"

"Not at all." Saya agreed before leaving the hut.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?" Chief asked them.

Raven stepped forward and lowered her head. "It's Raven." Rush explained. "She can't speak for some reason. She really can't make any sound at all. She even tries screaming, but nothing happened."

"So, she is mute?" Chief asked. Raven nodded. "I see… something traumatic must've happened to you recently, for there appears to be no physical harm to her."

"I saved her from a lion earlier." Rush explained.

"Was that it, young one?" Chief questioned. "Did you have a brush with the angel of death…? Did the reaper take your ability to speak?" Raven just turned away from him as tears started running down her cheeks. Chief sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Only an equally traumatic experience can bring back her voice… she may never talk again."

THE NEXT DAY

"Hey, Rush. I saw you and Raven last night. Congratulations, my friend." Zofu said enthusiastically to his friend as they wandered aimlessly through the village.

"Not now, man. I'm kind of depressed right now." Rush sighed, looking up at the cloudless sky.

"What's wrong?"

Rush just sighed and looked at his friend sadly. "Well… after the lion attack last night… Raven lost her voice. She's mute now."

"Whoa… that's a bummer… Is there anything you could do?"

Rush shook his head. "Chief says that it would take an equally traumatic experience to bring her voice back… either that or some kind of magic, and that's obviously out of the question… Or is it?"

"Rush, you're getting that look in your eye again." Zofu warned.

"We've all heard the legends." Rush said, turning around and facing the mountain that watched over their village. "A long time ago Chief and a group of others sealed a great mystical entity at the summit of that mountain. Chief was charged with guarding it and he has for fifteen hundred years now… forbidding his own people from going there and refusing to allow outsiders up there."

"Rush, I don't like it when you talk like this." Zofu said.

"If we could sneak up there, there might be a genie or something. It must be powerful if Chief won't let anyone up there. If I could hold that power I could bring back Ravens voice and do who knows what else."

"Rush, think about what you're saying." Zofu warned. "If we go up there and get caught we're as good as banished. We don't know anything about the outside world! Out there we're as good as dead."

"Then we won't get caught."

That night Rush and Zofu silently slipped out of their huts and made their way to the mountain. As always two guards were stationed at the beginning of the mountain path, but the boys knew that they could easily out smart those two. But then again maybe they didn't need to. The boys crouched down in the tall grass and each picked up a decent sized rock. Zofu quickly chucked his at one of the two guards, knocking him in the head and causing him to faint.

The other guard noticed this immediately and turned to the first guard's direction, clutching his spear tightly. "Who goes there?" he demanded. But before he got an answer Rush threw his rock and nailed him in the head and knocked him unconscious.

"Let's go." Rush whispered.

And so they started on their way up the path, honestly not knowing what to expect once they reached the peak. All they knew was that if Chief had forbidden anyone from going up there for more than fifteen hundred years then it must be powerful. Who knows what it could've been. A weapon with power beyond all imagining; a magic to powerful for humanity to control; or it could possibly have been a psychopathic mystical being with a god complex that was bent on complete world domination… no, probably not that last one. All they knew was that it was their best chance to bring back Raven's voice and Rush would do anything to get it.

They were close to the summit now, so close that they could see it. "Are you sure you want to do this, Rush? We're already in deep trouble for making it this far."

"Why go this far if we're not going all the way?" Rush questioned.

They made their way to the summit. There they found two odd statues; one in the shape of an oddly dressed man and the other in the shape of an oddly dressed woman. "Congratulations Rush." Zofu said sarcastically. "We broke our tribe's biggest taboo to find rocks. It was really worth it."

"Shut it, Zofu." Rush snapped. "Nobody hides statues like these without a purpose." He walked forward and began studying the statue of the man. He quickly noted every detail and it wasn't long before he noticed that the round stone in the statues hand was separate from the statue itself. "Hello, what's this." He grabbed onto the stone and gave it a tug. It moved slightly but was still stuck firmly in the statues hand. He pulled again but this time it didn't budge at all.

"What're you doing?" Zofu demanded. "If you break that thing we'll be caught for sure!"

"Zofu, no one's been up here in fifteen hundred years." Rush explained. "What're the odds of someone coming up here just to check on statues that no one even knows are here?"

"Well…"

Rush just ignored Zofu and continued pulling on the stone. He could feel it trying to move but it was wedged in there pretty tight. "All right… one more try." He grabbed it with both hands and pulled on it as hard as he could. And sure enough, the stone cracked in half and flew out of the statues hand, both halves landing at its base.

Rush stumbled back as an ominous laugh began to fill the air. The two boys looked around, trying to find who was laughing, but there was no one there. Soon the air around them grew cold and a neon green aura appeared around the statue.

_I… am…_

Then, out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning was hurled down from the sky and struck Zofu, incinerating him to nothing more than a skeleton. It was over quickly and Zofu's corpse fell to the ground. Just as suddenly a green fire surrounded the mountain top and the aura around the statue grew until the entire stone man was consumed in the light.

"What have you done?" Rush swung around to find Chief charging at him, with a look of pure rage in his eye. "You idiot, you've doomed us all!"

"What? What's going on?" Rush questioned.

_I… am… __**PRIDE!**_

A colossal bird made of blazing green fire shot up from the statue and with an ear splitting cry flew off into the darkness of the night sky. The green fire disappeared and the air returned to its normal temperature. Now it was only Rush and Chief left on that mountain.

"Was it worth it?" Chief questioned. "You've broken our tribe's biggest taboo, killed your best friend, and Raven still can't speak… well… WAS IT WORTH IT?"

Rush simply lowered his head in shame, not wanting Chief to see the tears running down his cheeks. "No."

"I hope you remember this feeling for the rest of your life… Now get out of my sight! I don't want to see you anywhere near this village ever again."

LOCATION UNKNOWN, PRESENT

"So you're the one who brought all of this on us!" Dojo shouted.

"Not like it matters." Rush said, standing up and picking up Dojo's cage. "In less than a year this world is going to end and Pride will raise a new world in its place. I, along with the other Sins, will become a god… even though that is what I never wanted."

"Then why'd you agree to become Envy?" Dojo demanded. "I would've rather died that agree to that!"

"That's the difference between us, Dojo… I'm not ready to die… not yet." Rush then handed Dojo over to one of Sloths many robots and the disappeared, leaving them to do whatever they wanted with the dragon.

The robot ripped open the cage and pulled Dojo out. It flew over to the machine and placed latched Dojo in, with shackles around his wrists, tail, and neck. The Dragon then felt electricity surge through his body and he changed size against his will. Dojo grew to his flying size and then fell limp, now fully a part of the machine.

A voice suddenly sounded throughout the chamber. "Virtue Detector Unit now operational."

* * *

(a/n) yes, its Rush fault that Pride was even relased in the first place. its all his fault! get your torches and pitch forks ready, people. were going on a man hunt! but seriously, I loved writing this chapter. its the whole reason why this is even happening and Im honestly a sucker for an origin story. so, now that thats out of the way I hope your all anxious for the next chapter... lets just say things are going to get a bit crowded.


	11. Welcome to the Resistance

Chapter 10: Welcome to the Resistance

"So… can it rain here?" Jess asked as she and the others made their way deeper into their new home; the newly found valley hidden underneath what was left of the temple. She didn't get an answer. Most of them were still trying to get over the fact that the temple had been burned down, especially Omi who'd ran ahead of everyone else with Mimi who was trying to calm him. As for Jet and Hamster; Jet obviously didn't have a clue and Hamster was keeping quiet for his own reasons.

"So whaddo we do now?" Clay asked. "We can't just stay in hidin' down here forever."

"First things first." Hamster broke in. "We must find food and water, as well as build shelter... I would say that fire was an issue as well, but Kimiko can easily start one for us."

"Not before a bath, I can't." Kim argued. "I'm absolutely filthy and a good soak will help me relax after fighting those three headed freaks."

"All right. See you later, Kim." Rai said.

Kim turned toward him and gave him a confused look. "What, you're not going to join me?" she asked, pressing her body up against him and smiling seductively. "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before." She whispered into his ear.

"I have?" Rai questioned.

Kim stepped back from him with a shocked expression. "Pride really must've done a number on you if don't remember that." she said. "I'll have to remind you." She grinned, grabbing Rai by the arm and pulling away from the others and towards the lake.

"I envy him so much right now." Jet joked.

"Well, I don't approve." Jess argued. "I didn't see any wedding rings, did you?"

"Oh, lighten up. You sound like an old nun." Jet laughed, playfully punching his sister in the arm.

"Well, I think Kim's got the right idea." Elena said.

"What? That sex will jog Rai's memory?" Julia laughed. "'Cause you're right. That probably will work."

"No." Elena said, rolling her eyes. "A bath sounds really good right now."

"Have you all forgotten about the matters of food and shelter?" Hamster broke in. "Even in a paradise like this we won't last long without either of those."

"No, you little rat, we haven't forgotten." Saya snapped. "We're just trying to relax right now. In case you've forgotten, eight of the eleven of us just finished fighting off four three-headed monsters that tried to fry and eat us at the same time. So, if you don't mind, shut up and let us rest." Hamster had no response. He simply nodded at her reluctantly and went back to his thoughts. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse us, Clay and I are going to follow Kim and Rai's example and do some catching up." With that the blond Chinese girl led her Texan boyfriend into the woods to find a nice, quiet, and isolated spot.

"I thought we were supposed to be fighting sins, not embracing them." Jess scoffed.

"You seriously need to chill." Jet said to his sister. "I don't see the problem with two people that're in love embracing their feelings like that… We're not all churchies like you, Jess."

"Churchy?" Jewel questioned.

"I'm a devout catholic." Jess explained. "Why?"

"I'll be leaving now." Hamster said, jumping down from Elena's shoulder and bolting off into the tall grass.

Jewel and Elena glanced at each other with unsure expressions. "We might as well tell them." Elena sighed. "It looks like they'll be staying with us for a while and they'll probably find out anyway."

Jewel nodded and turned back to the siblings. "Look, Elena and I are gay." She explained. "You two aren't going to have a problem with that, are you?"

"No, not at all." Jet said, even though he had only one thing on his mind. _Oh, that is so hot_. "I'm a little disappointed to find out that you two are suddenly off my market, but I have no problem with you or your sexuality…. And neither do you, right Sis?"

Jess just looked at the two girls nervously, obviously unsure of how she felt about the subject. It took a bit but she eventually shook her head, though she lowered her head to avoid eye contact. Jewel and Elena smiled at them before locking arms and going off to do whatever.

Jet just nodded back to them before glancing over to his sister who still had a nervous look. "You sure you're alright with them?" he asked.

Jess sighed and scratched the back of her head. "I have no idea."

A few hours later everyone regrouped in the area where they planned to make their camp, a small clearing in the woods. Rai and Kim were the last to show up and seemed completely exhausted, for obvious reasons, so no one questioned them when they sat down under a tree and fell asleep together. And Clay and Saya, despite what everyone else believed they'd been doing, seemed perfectly rested and ready to help out. As it turned out they'd just been taking a nap. Apparently Omi was still pissed off because he hadn't shown his face yet. Mimi, however, had gotten tired of his attitude and left him to sulk, so she was there. Jewel and Elena had been the ones that had found the spot in the first place, so they'd been there the whole time just talking and it wasn't long after they found the spot that Jet, Jess and Hamster joined their conversation. Now everyone was busy either gathering wood for a fire or making shelter, which for the most part would be made out of stone slabs that Clay raised out of the ground.

And just as everything was about finished Omi came bolting into the area, breathing heavily as if he'd been running all over the place. "Finally decided to help out, did we?" Mimi growled, still angry with him.

"You all can't honestly say you can't hear Mala Mala Jong roaring above us?" Omi demanded. "Come quickly before that monster of a guard of ours decides to maul whoever's up there!"

"That's why we left Jong up there in the first place, Omi." Clay said.

"Yes, as a guard, not a bomb waiting to go off on the first thing that moves." Omi argued.

ABOVE THE VAULT

Nina glared at the colossal beast made of Shen Gong Wu before her. Behind her Jack lay unconscious on a pile of rubble, the shoulder where he'd taken the bullet was bandaged with shreds of his own sleeve. Mala Mala Jong roared and was about to attack her again when…

"Emperor Scorpion!"

Jong stopped, stepping back and bowing to her before the monks ran out in front of it to confront her. Nina sighed and dropped to her knees. "Thank you." She gasped, out of breath from fighting Jong.

"Wait a minute… aren't you the Sin of Sloth?" Kimiko questioned.

"Yeah, and that's Jack Spicer." Saya pointed out.

"On second thought, let Jong maul them." Omi suggested.

"No! Please!" Nina pleaded. "I-I'm not the Sin of Sloth anymore… and Jack, he's hurt… Please, we need help."

Mimi, after hearing that Jack was hurt, ran over to him immediately and removed the bandages from his shoulder. After examining it quickly, she sighed and turned to Nina. "You should've gotten him help sooner, or at least gotten the bullet out." She scolded.

"I don't know how to do that!" Nina argued. "And where exactly could I go for help? We're wanted criminals!"

"Regardless, the wound has become infected!" Mimi snapped. "And it's pretty bad… unless there's a doctor here, which I doubt, he'll have to have his arm amputated just to save his life."

"And how do you know?" Nina argued.

"My Mom's a doctor and I plan to one myself one day." Mimi said. "So I suggest you listen to me."

"I had no idea you wanted to be a doctor, Mimi." Omi said, walking up to them.

"Not now, Omi. This is serious."

"Ahem…"

Everyone turned to where the cough had come from and was surprised to find who it was… and even more surprised to see who else was with that person. A small crowd of familiar faces had appeared near by, all of which were familiar faces to at least one of the monks. At their front was Panda Bubba and his two goons, and behind them were many others; Katnappe, Vlad, Raphael, Tubbimura, Jessie and at least four Black Vipers, the Cyclops, Jermiane, and even Master Monk Guan. "Katnappe, remove the bullet." Panda Bubba ordered. "Vlad, give him a stick or something for him to bite down on. Tubbimura, you can slice cleanly through flash, correct?" Tubbimura nodded. "Good. You just became a surgeon."

"What the hell are all of you doing here?" Kim demanded.

"It's a long story, man." Jermaine answered.

"Who are they again?" Rai questioned.

"Your new comrades." Panda Bubba explained. "Congratulations, kids. You've just become part of the resistance… and this just became a resistance outpost… Now take us to your shelter. I doubt we want to be out here while they amputate that poor boys arm."

And so, with no argument or opposition, everyone returned to the valley beneath the vault. They left Jack, Nina, and Tubbimura (along with Mala Mala Jong and Cyclops who couldn't fit inside) outside to do what needed to be done.

BRASILIA

Wrath laughed hysterically as the miserable residents of Brasilia bowed to him on the streets below as he flew over the streets standing on a cloud of magic. Oh, how the Sin of Wrath, now the ruler of South America, loved making his underlings miserable. "Yes! Bow to me you filthy swine!" he shouted to them. Then, just to show his power more, he pulled two revolvers out of his pockets and unloaded all twelve rounds into the crowds without aiming, though he didn't hit a single person. "Darn, I missed." He chuckled.

"You're also missing a brain, imbecile."

Wrath didn't have to look to recognize that voice. In fact, he closed his eyes. "Well if it isn't me favorite fifteen hundred year old bimbo." He laughed to the Sin of Lust who was now hovering next to him.

"Watch your tongue, Wrath." Wuya growled. "I'm here on business and business only."

"Fine, fine, what does the all mighty Sin of Pride desire?" Wrath chuckled.

"This has nothing to do with Pride. I'm here on my own accord." Wuya explained. "Now tell me, you and Sloth have made an alliance and are conspiring to move up the proverbial totem pole, quite possible ahead of myself… true or false."

Wrath laughed and turned to her. "Right down to the totem pole line. Now I know I'm in deep shit."

"And so is Sloth if you two don't agree with my terms and come along quietly." Wuya growled.

"Oh no! The ever frightening Sin of Lust is threatening to throw us in her harem; I'm shaking in my boots!" Wrath joked.

"Who said anything about that?" Lust questioned. "I'm simply here to join your little alliance."

"Crazy lady say wha…"

"I, too, wish to move up in the ranks."

"But you're second in command." Wrath pointed out. "You can't move any higher up… unless Pride dies which we all know is impossible."

"Oh, contraire." Wuya grinned. "The Sin of Pride may be indestructible, but its physical body is just as feeble as anyone else's… And let's say that, oh, I don't know, those annoying Monks manage to take out Pride. What do you suppose we do then?"

"Move in for the kill!" Wrath said, grinning evilly and pulling a shotgun out of nowhere.

"Exactly. And since I now have you and Sloth on my side, imagine if Greed, Gluttony, and Envy joined our cause as well…"

"Those little bastards wouldn't be able to stop us right after fighting Pride."

"Precisely." Wuya grinned. "Prides plan is good; ruling this pitiful world for a time and then rebuilding it in his image; but I prefer to watch my underlings suffer for as long as possible, just as you do."

"So the six of us will rule this world for an eternity! I like the way you think… One little problem with your plan though. Pride sees everything we do despite his constantly being blindfolded… Hey what is it with the blind characters always having some kind of future sight? It just doesn't make sense. The blind shouldn't be able to see… wait, is Pride blind or does he just wear that for looks? If he wants to look cool he should dress like a rock star or something. Hey! There's an idea! The seven of us should start a rock band! We could call ourselves the Seven Deadly Sins, play great music, and leave chaos and destruction in our wake. Speaking of chaos and destruction why does Gluttony wear that stone mask? Is he horribly scarred or something? Did he have terminal cancer and then seek out the Weapon X program to give him a healing factor in order to cure said cancer but be horribly scarred in the process and now wears that mask to hide his face in shame? Hey! I just described the origin of the comic book character 'Dead pool'! I love comi…"

"**WOULD YOU GET TO THE POINT!!**" Wuya shouted.

"Let me finish my rant, please." Wrath said calmly. "As I was saying, I love comic books. Particularly this one character called 'Blindfold.' She has no eyes but has this future sight ability which brings me back to my original point; how are we going to pull this off when Pride knows our ever move?"

Wuya simply grinned and turned away from him. "You leave that to me." she chuckled.

"I see. You're sleeping with him, aren't ya."

"How does everybody know that?" Wuya growled. "So, do we have an agreement or what?" she asked, annoyed.

Wrath grabbed her hand and shook it firmly. "It's a mutiny." He declared.

Wuya grinned again. "Good." And with that she vanished.

"Hmph." Wrath mumbled. "I suddenly feel like watching Pirates of the Caribbean."


	12. The Plan

Chapter 11: The Plan

Pride stood atop a cloud of his own magic, glaring down to the small Middle Eastern town through his blindfold. "You are positive Temperance awaits us in this filthy hovel of a town?" he questioned to the Sin of Envy who was hovering next to him.

"Without question, my lord." Rush answered. "Sloth's machine specifically identified this location… The Virtue of Temperance is somewhere among those buildings and we'll burn every one to the ground in order to find it."

"Excellent…" Pride grinned. "… Greed! Gluttony!" The scantily clad Middle Eastern woman and her monstrous older brother appeared kneeling on the air before them. "I believe you both know who to look for. Follow Envy into the town. Destroy everything in your path and slaughter anyone who gets in your way… but bring the Virtue of Temperance back alive."

"Yes, my lord." Greed said. Gluttony simply nodded. The three teleported down to the town below and almost instantly fire sprang up and screams could be heard. Pride watched from above, waiting patiently for a chance to look yet another of them in the eye. It was simply delicious for him to watch the hope drain out of the virtues eyes as they are brought forth to him and then taken away to the dungeons. Kindness had been the first, and the second she saw him she knew that nothing could stop what was happening to the world. Soon Temperance would join her, as would Humility, Diligence, Charity, and Forgiveness. So far only that annoying Chastity had managed to stay hopeful that something could be done.

"I will break you eventually, Dashi." Pride growled.

"_Oh, you've been a bad boy."_

Pride whirled around to confront the speaker but found no one there. "That voice…" it seemed so familiar to him. He knew that voice from somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. It had been so long since he'd heard anything like it. A mischievous sounding woman, it seemed like. Then it hit him. "Could it be…?"

"_Papa's not going to be happy when he hears about what you've been up to."_ The voice snickered.

"Show yourself, witch!"

"_Not so fast… wouldn't want to spoil the fun now would we?"_

Pride was suddenly surrounded by a purple haze. This was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. He instantly shot his energy blade from his wrist and started hacking and slashing insanely at the haze, succeeding only in temporarily breaking it apart.

"_Tsk tsk, not very smart anymore, are we? You of all people should know better than that."_

"And you of all people should know better than to cross me." Pride growled. "Now face me, you coward. Fight me or go crying to him like you always used to!"

"Who are you talking to?"

Pride swung around again; ready to slash the speaker in half with his energy blade until he realized that it was Envy, returned from his mission along with Greed and Gluttony. Pride drew back his sword quickly and regained his previous, relaxed stance. "Where is the Virtue?" he demanded.

Greed tossed him a small glass bottle with a cork at its top. Inside the bottle was a teenage, Middle Eastern girl wearing a black dress with long sleeves and black veils over her mouth, nose, and hair. She was shrunk down to the size of a small doll. "Excellent work." Pride said.

"She is out little sister." Greed said, Gluttony nodding afterwards. "It was not hard to spot her."

"What was the name you called her?" Pride asked. "Charity, was it?"

"Ironic that Charity is the Virtue of Temperance, is it not?" Rush asked.

"My point exactly." Pride said, looking into Charity's eyes through the bottle and watching the hope drain away from her eyes just as he'd anticipated. "She'll be a nice little addition to my collection." With that the four of them vanished, leaving the tiny village below to burn.

In their place the purple haze manifested once again, this time taking the shape of a petite woman but showing no human features other than the shape. _"Papa won't be very happy at all."_ It said before vanishing into the smoke from the village below.

TEMPLE RUINS

Jack gently touched the cloth rapped around the small stump where his right harm had once been and sighed. It had already been more than a day since Tubbimura amputated his arm and he was still in a lot of pain. He could barely stand yet, let alone walk or do much else.

"You feeling ok, honey?" Jack looked up to find Nina standing over him with a bowl of stew in her hand.

"I'm in severe pain, I can't think straight, and I'm missing an arm." Jack stated.

"Point taken." Nina chuckled, sitting down next to him. "Now eat this. Vlad say's it will help you heal more quickly." She lifted a spoon full of stew out of the bowl and fed it to Jack. Jack grimaced, not because the food was bad, but because he was being fed like a baby with twenty-six other people sitting around a fire less than ten yards away. "I know you hate this, but you don't really have a choice." Nina said.

"Yeah, yeah." Jack scowled. Nina just sighed and gave him another spoonful of stew. She figured that he'd be in a bad mood for a while so she might as well deal with it now.

"So, how's he doing?" This time it was Katnappe who was standing over them.

"Well, he's conscious." Nina joked. "It's a start at least."

Katnappe chuckled and then pulled back her hood, letting her golden blond hair fall down to her shoulders. She sat down on the other side of Jack. "How'd it happen?" she asked.

Nina sighed and was about to explain, but Jack beat her to it. "We were in Los Vegas, don't ask me how we got there because I don't know. The entire city was deserted, so I figured that I could steal some of the tech form the casino vaults to build a way to stop the Sins. It was a portal that would spread over the entire world but only take the Sins to some random dimension. Unfortunately my brother Gabriel, the Sin of Sloth, showed up. In a last minute escape attempt I sent Nina though and then made a few adjustments so that when I passed through it would close automatically. Gabriel tried to shut it sooner by shooting it, but I jumped in the way. We wandered around for days after that and I eventually passed out. The next thing I know fat ass over there was cutting my arm off."

"Wow… some story… I didn't even know you had a brother." Katnappe said.

"Haven't talked to that bastard in four years." Jack growled.

"That's enough of that." Nina broke in, knowing that the subject needed to be changed before it got out of hand. "Now c'mon, Jack, eat up." And she forced another spoonful of stew into his mouth. "So, what're they talking about over there?"

"They're planning." Katnappe said. "This is a resistance outpost now, so almost every moment it devoted to discussing how we're going to strike next."

"It's pointless, you know." Nina murmured. "I know… because I used to be one of them… You can fight, rebel, and resist all you want but the Sins will always win… There's only a handful of people on earth that even have a chance of stopping them."

"No one's immortal." Jack growled, using his remaining arm to push himself to his feet and then walk off into the woods.

"What was that?" Now it was Panda Bubba who was coming their way. "You say you used to be one of them?" he asked.

"Yes… but I left when I realized that I love Jack." She admitted. Katnappe grimaced at her choice of words.

"If you used to be one of them then you must know all of their secrets, their plans… their weaknesses…" He kneeled down in front of her and lightly grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I want you to tell me everything you know."

LATER

"So, Jermaine, how did you end up here in China?" Omi asked. "I thought that the Sins had made intercontinental travel almost impossible." At the moment most of the former enemies of the monks, who were not temporary allies, were circled around the fire minding their own business. The monks however had separated themselves from the groups, along with Hamster, Jet, Jess, Guan and Jermaine.

"Actually, I was on my way to visit you guys when the Sins took over." Jermaine explained. "I ran into Guan in Beijing and we both joined the resistance outpost there. But then our leader, freaky panda guy, accidentally gave away the location of our base and we hightailed it out of there."

"Why were you in Beijing, Master Monk Guan?" Mimi questioned.

"After the events of the Ultimate Fighter Tournament I knew that it was only a matter of time before the Sin's took power. I ordered the people at my temple to seek shelter elsewhere. Meanwhile I set out on a journey to discover the way which Grand Master Dashi, Chase Young, Chief and myself defeated the Sin's fifteen hundred years ago."

"You mean you don't remember?" Saya asked.

"Unfortunately, I suffered a blow to the head, courtesy of the original Gluttony, and was in a comma during the months that lead up to that day… ironically I awoke the next day."

"I feel your pain, my friend…" Rai said sympathetically. "I barely remember you thanks to my own amnesia, but I feel your pain."

"Wait a minute, who's Chief?" Kimiko questioned.

"Oh yes. I had forgotten that you had not met all of my former team mates yet." Guan said. "Chief was one of the greatest fighters I have ever had the pleasure of fighting along side of… as well as sparing against. He hailed from a tribe in what is now Kenya. Originally he simply came to warn us about the impending threat of the Sins, but after the crew and ship that brought him to us was destroyed by one of them he vowed to avenge them and fought along side Dashi, Chase, and myself. In the end he was charged by Dashi to guard the statue we had imprisoned Pride in… and thus he still lives to this day… I doubt he's aged quite a gracefully as Chase or myself however."

"Well if he's supposed to be guarding Pride then why is that psychopath ruling the world right now?" Jet growled.

"It may have taken an immense magical force to imprison him, but it wouldn't take much more than a curious child to release him." Guan explained.

"Truer words have never been spoken, my friend." Hamster said.

"I think we've already established that Pride has been released." Julia said. "What we need to figure out now is how to get rid of him… perhaps permanently this time?

"Good luck with that." Clay said.

"Ya mind explaining your opinion there, Mr. Enthusiasm?" Elena asked sarcastically.

"It's simple, Elena." Clay said. "The last time he was defeated Guan wasn't around to witness it, we have no way of reaching this Chief guy, Dashi's been dead for a really long time, and Chase's been dead for a while too Thanks to my hot blond girlfriend here." Saya blushed and thanked him for the complement. "So how do ya expect to figure out how to beat him for good when we don't even know how they did it last time and they didn't even kill him last time?"

At this point Jess, who'd remained silent for most of the conversation, stood up and looked over towards the fire and the others. "All we can do is pray." She said before turning the other way and disappearing into the labyrinth of trees.

Not long after Jess left Panda Bubba walked over to them. "Raphael and I have devised a plan against the Sin of Lust that may actually work. Come and listen if you like, but if you do not wish to participate in the resistance then stay out of the way of those of us who do." Most of them nodded and got up to follow him. Rai, on the other hand stayed sitting where he was.

"You coming, Rai?" Kim asked.

Rai shook his head. "You guys can fill me in later. I think Jess needs someone to talk to right now… and Jet, her **brother**, obviously isn't going to be that person."

"Hey, I've been putting up with her mood swings for fifteen years now." Jet snapped. "It's someone else's turn now."

"Like he said." Rai agreed, standing up and starting towards the woods. "Catch up later, then."

Around the fire everyone waited for the Panda Bubba to return with the monks. They were all eager to hear Panda Bubba and Raphael's plan, even Jack who was obviously still depressed over his arm. As the resistance, it was their job to take down the Seven Deadly Sins any way possible and at all costs.

They all looked up as Panda Bubba returned with the monks and took his seat next to Raphael. The two of them had agreed to co-lead this outpost of the resistance. "My fellow rebellers, time and again countless resistance movements have tried and failed to take down even one of the Seven Deadly Sins." Panda Bubba announced. "But now we may have a way to strike back at them, successfully for the first time!"

"Over the next few months we shall send out messengers to persuade other nearby outposts to join us." Raphael continued. "We shall build an army and when everything is perfect, we shall stage a full frontal assault on the Sin of Lust's castle!"

At Raphael's words everyone started complaining and protesting. Many claimed that full frontal assaults had been tried too many times before and failed miserably every time. And many argued that even if an attack like that could work it would never work against the Sin of Lust. Many knew her personally and knew that she was to smart for that.

"Calm down!" Panda Bubba shouted. "You haven't hears the best part yet. The attack will just be a diversion. While and army is attacking the palace we will have a small group sneak in during the commotion and silently work their way into the center of the building. From there, if the monks would be kind enough to supply us with the Golden Tiger Claws, we shall open a portal and have a bomb planted there. Then, when we retreat, we shall detonate it, destroying the Sin of Lust's palace and taking her with it! Together, we shall liberate all of Asia!"

Everyone cheered and started chanting "Liberate Asia" as Panda Bubba and Raphael took in their moment of glory. "Now please, rest. For tomorrow, our plans begin." Raphael ordered. With that everyone scattered to their own camps. Once everyone was gone Raphael asked what was on his mind. "But what of the information that the girl told you?" he asked Panda Bubba.

"All in due time."

THE WOODS

Jess sighed as she looked up the night sky, there were stars everywhere that night and a full moon hung in the sky as well. She laughed at the irony; looking up to a star filled sky even though she knew full well that she was underground. She figured that either there was a very powerful magic around or God must really like this place. "Maybe this place really is Eden."

"Well, no true evil can enter this place, according to Omi at least, so maybe you're right."

Jess turned around to find Rai leaning against a tree. "Oh, hey Rai. Why aren't you with the others?"

Rai shrugged. "Figured you might need something to talk to. Your exit back at camp was kinda… let's just say we all know you're in a bad mood."

"So why didn't Jet come?"

"I believe his exact words were, 'I've been putting up with her mood swings for fifteen years now. It's someone else's turn.'"

Jess chuckled. "That sounds like Jet. He'll get out of anything when he can."

"So what's buggin' ya?" Rai asked.

"Oh, I don't know." Jess said. "I've just been thinking… I've lived on the streets for most of my life and I've been fine with it. For me, when the Sin's took over, life really didn't change that much. I'm still just a petty, homeless kid who's survived for most of my life on stolen fruit and small animals that Jet managed to catch and kill… and I don't care one bit. I'm fine with how my life is. It's just been my brother and me for so long… but now there are all these people in my life that care about me; you, Kimiko, Omi, Clay, Saya, Mimi, Julia, Elena… even that funny talking Hamster... you're all great friends now… I should be the happiest I've ever been… but for some reason I can't shake this feeling of misery hanging over my head… I don't know, maybe it's just my time of the month."

"Or maybe you're home sick." Rai suggested. Jess just gave him a questioning look. "Think about it, you're life is exactly the same for the most part, unless you count the obvious x-factor of the Sins ruling the world now. And like you said, you have all these friends now so that's a big plus… what's the one difference other than those two things?"

Then it dawned on her. "I'm not in Rome anymore."

"Exactly. You just miss the familiar surroundings. I was the exact same way when I… first came to… the… temple…" The both stood there silently in complete shock when they realized what had just happened. "Did I just…" Jess nodded. "I remembered my first day at the temple!"

"I'm so happy for you, Rai." Jess said, giving her friend a tight hug. "Do you remember anything else?"

Rai shook his head. "Still is amazing. It may be taking a while, but my memories coming back!... I've gotta go find Kimiko."

"Go on. Have you're moment." Jess said, smiling at him. "I'm fine now." Rai nodded and ran off. She really was happy for her friend, but couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the same time. He'd only regained two memories so far but with every one he seemed less and less like the Rai she knew. She sighed and looked back up to the sky, focusing on the moon. "Why are you testing me?"


	13. One Last Stand Part 1

Chapter 12: One Last Stand Part 1

"Are you sure you are up for this so soon?" Raphael asked. A more detailed version of Panda Bubba's plan had been mapped out now and everything was intricately timed and was to be precisely executed. But in order to take out the Sin of Lust's entire palace they would need a very powerful bomb so they came to the only person around with that kind of knowledge; Jack Spicer. If anyone could build a bomb like that it was him. "If you need more time to recover from your injuries we have plenty of time."

"Jack, listen to him." Nina pleaded. "You're still weak. Stay here and rest for a while longer."

Jack just shook his head and took the golden Tiger Claws from Raphael. "I'm gunna need all the time I can get to build a bomb that powerful… especially with just one arm. I figure that if I start now I can make one powerful enough to take out half of Beijing and still have time left over."

Nina sighed and shook her head. "Fine, but you're not going alone." she said sternly.

"I'll be fine, Nina." Jack assured her. "I'm just going to one of my backup workshops." Nina raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I have two other places that I build robots at other than my house. They're in the basements of old vacation homes that my family never uses anymore."

"She is right, Spicer." Raphael broke in. "It is not just for your safety, but because we can not afford any of us being alone at any time. I've taken the liberty of assigning two others to go along with you and Nina. They will be there strictly as body guards and are not to interfere with your work."

Jack sighed. "Fine. But who are they?"

Raphael motioned for them to come forward. From the trees behind him Katnappe and Tubbimura stepped forward. "You've got to be kidding me." Jack groaned. "C'mon, Katnappe and I are never going to get along and I can deal with Tubbimura, but he just cut off my arm two days ago so I'm not too fond of him right now."

"So deal with it." Raphael snapped. "You are a soldier now and you have accepted your mission. That means when you get orders you don't complain, you take them with a smile on your ugly mug. Got that?"

Jack saluted him. "Sir, yes, sir!" He then reached into his pocked and pulled out a pea-green coffee mug with a yellow smiley face on it. "Smile on my ugly mug, sir!"

"I would give you a week in solitary for that if you weren't so important to this mission." Raphael growled. "Now get out of my sight!"

Jack just rolled his eyes, turned around, and started walking away. "All right, let's get going, maggots… you're coming too, Nina." Nina just giggled while Katnappe and Tubbimura scowled as they followed Jack into the woods.

"You seem like you're in a good mood for once." Nina said happily. "What's the occasion?"

"I'm not sure." Jack said. "Maybe I'm starting to get over loosing my arm… or maybe there was something funky in that stew Vlad made… either way I'm ready to build me a bomb right after we're done with my other project."

"What other project?" Nina questioned.

Jack just chuckled before gripping the Golden Tiger Claws and slashing them through the air. A portal opened and Katnappe and Tubbimura jumped through. Nina gave him another questioning look before jumping through herself, quickly followed by Jack.

The four found themselves in a room very similar to Jack's old lab, only with junk sitting around and thus more room to move around. "Where are we?" Tubbimura asked.

"We, my overweight ninja slash butcher wannabe friend, are in my families vacation home in Sicily." Jack explained. "Make yourselves at home. There should be some old magazines around here somewhere and there's a freezer full of ice cream and popsicle's on the other side of the room… or at least it was full of that stuff the last time I was here." There was no argument from Tubbimura or Katnappe. Tubbimura headed fro the freezer immediately and Katnappe sat down on a dusty recliner for a nap. Jack then went and started searching through his old projects, looking for something specific. Occasionally Nina had to help him move the heavier stuff like oversized robot arms or completed robots that just didn't work. Soon enough Jack found what he was looking for though. It was a midget sized robot version of himself that was still steel colored because hadn't been painted to look like him yet. "There you are."

"Why's it so small?" Nina asked.

"I was five when I made this." Jack explained. "Now let's see… I'll need to make some adjustments to the design, but I think it'll work. All I'll need to do it lengthen it a little."

"What're you talking about?" Nina asked.

"Nina, I need to build a bomb. But even with your help I'll never be able to do that as I am." He picked a large wrench off the table and started disassembling the robots right arm. "I need two arms to do this… and what better way to get that other arm back than with what I'm best with?… robotics."

THREE MONTHS LATER

Jessie rolled to a stop next to the other four Black Viper bikes. Mala Mala Jong and Cyclops looked over to her for a second to see who had arrived but paid no attention to her as she made her way over the ruble of the temple and into the Vault. At the bottom she knocked on the wall twice and waited a few seconds for it to fall back, allowing her to enter. She made her way though the grassy plains and into the woods where, just as she'd expected, she found the others waiting for her around the fire. She also noticed a pile of various weapons (swords, guns, Shen Gong Wu, etc.) sitting under a tree. "I ride off to Shenyang months ago and these are all the weapons you can get?" Jessie questioned. "You all 're lazier than a barn owl in the middle o' the day."

"It is not easy to obtain weaponry in these hard times." Panda Bubba explained.

"So are they in or what, Sis?" Clay asked.

Jessie nodded. "The Shenyang outpost'll be more 'an happy to storm Lust's palace in Beijing with us. What about the others?"

"According to your fellow Black Vipers all of our other choices are in as well." Vlad explained. "Tianjin, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan and Huhehaote are all ready to strike whenever we give the signal.

"Are we sure we don't need Changchun or Zhengzhou?" Guan questioned.

"The six closest surrounding cities to Beijing will be enough." Panda Bubba broke in. "And with the army we have already it will be suspicious enough when we all move on Beijing at the same time… and I want as few casualties as possible, other than the obvious target."

"So when do we move then?" Kimiko asked.

"When Spicer gives us the signal." Raphael answered.

"And until then?" Omi asked.

"We wait." Panda Bubba said simply. "All of you that are going, rest well and train hard, for we could move at any moment... The Sin of Lust's judgment day comes soon."

With that everyone scattered. The Black Vipers and Jessie left to work on their bikes, wanting them to be in top shape for the upcoming battle. Vlad, Raphael, Panda Bubba and his two lackeys went off to get in some last minute training. Guan and Hamster left to meditate and get some rest. Jet and Jess just walked over to the pile of weapons and Jet started sifting through it. Everyone else remained by the fire.

"So do any of you guys actually think this is gunna work?" Jermaine asked.

"It's the best chance we've got." Rai said. "And even if it doesn't kill Wuya, which I doubt it will, at least it'll show the Sins that we're not giving up without a fight."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting one thing." Saya pointed out. "Whether this kills her or not, this will give the Sins justification to hunt us all down relentlessly… and personally. I mean, I realize that most of us are already wanted criminals, but if we go ahead with this who knows how the Sins, especially Lust, will react."

"It sounds like you are having second thoughts, Saya." Omi said.

"Yeah, baby, ya don' sound like yerself." Clay added.

"Oh trust me, I'm not backing out." Saya insisted. "All I'm saying is that we all know how resourceful the Sins are. If they really want to there's no way to stop them from finding us." Nobody argued.

"Speaking of finding us, I wonder how Rush is doing." Kimiko said. "It's been over six months since we last saw him."

"We don't have to worry about him." Elena said. "Knowing him he's probably out there fighting with a different resistance outpost. It's only a matter of time before we run into him again." Despite sounding confident Elena's reassuring words didn't even fool herself. Every one of them had heard what the Sins did to the people on their most wanted list. They were all lucky that they'd lasted this long in the same place. But Rush had been out there for months on his own as far as they knew. As far as most of them were concerned he was as good as dead until they had undeniable proof that he was alive… they even planned on giving him a grave when all of this was over, if he hadn't shown up again by then that is.

"So, Rai, have you gotten any more memories back recently?" Julia asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Not really." Rai admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I get flashes here and there but it's never enough to piece anything together… um… Oh, but I do remember the last thing I watched on TV was a woman's beach volleyball tournament."

"Should'a seen that comin'." Clay chuckled.

Kim just rolled her eyes. "As much as I'm not proud of what he's remembering, I have to say he is doing a lot better than before. Isn't that right, honey?"

"Who are you?" Rai laughed. Kim elbowed him in the ribs playfully.

Not far away Jet was busy looking through the pile of weapons, taking particular interest in the guns. He never really had been one for close combat. Jess meanwhile just stood behind him casting a look of shame upon him. She detested fighting, back in Rome she often refused to eat anything that Jet had killed himself, but she knew she couldn't do anything to stop him from going to battle with the others. It wasn't in her brother to stay behind while others took action.

Jet picked up and hand gun and examined it quickly before turning on the safety and loading it with a clip of bullets. He tucked it into a large pocket on his pant leg before continuing his search for weaponry. "Are you sure you want to do this, Jet?" Jess finally asked.

Jet sighed and turned to his sister, actually taking off his sunglasses and revealing his eyes, one being emerald green while the other was ocean blue, for the first time in quite a while. "Jess, I know you don't have it in you to fight, and I know you don't want to see anything happen to me, but I'm not going to sit here while a war for the freedom of the entire planet is being fought."

"But you could die, Jet!" Jess snapped. "You could die... and you're the only family I've got…"

"Jess…"

"Jet, please. Recklessly throwing yourself into a fight that doesn't involve you is completely…"

"Doesn't involve me?" Jet snapped. "Jess, other than you there aren't a lot of things I'm willing to fight for… but this time we're all in danger. All six billion of us. If I can do anything to make sure that this world remains ours until it ends the way… well, the way God intended it to end then I will."

"Then why don't you have some faith and let God fight this battle instead?" Jess pleaded.

"Because if God was going to help us he would've done it by now!" Jet snapped. "Now it has been more than half a year since the Seven Deadly Sins have taken over and so far nothing has been done to them, by mortal or immortal means… and if God's not going to help the world this time then I am." He loaded another hand gun and shoved it into his pocket and then picked up a small gatling gun, tied a strap to it and slung it over his shoulder. He put his sunglasses back on before speaking again. "Look, I might've gone too far there… I know you're a gentle soul, Sis, but you have to understand… I have to do this… and if I do die in battle then I'll ask the big guy why he's putting us through this, ok?" Jess couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto her face. "And I promise that if I die then I'll always be watching over you… just like mom and dad have been doing for all these years."

Jess just smiled as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Fine… go, but…" she pulled her necklace with the silver cross over her head and shoved it into Jet's hand. "… promise me that you'll come back in one piece." She said.

Jet just gave her his goofy grin before pulling her necklace over his head and pulling his sister into a hug. "I promise, Jess… I'll come back. Now quite crying before I change my mind."

"Shut up." Jess laughed.

"Ah, the intimate moment between siblings. A rare sight in this age." Jet and Jess glanced around to fine the speaker was a young Asian man wearing leather armor with long raven black hair. He was accompanied by an elderly indigenous African man holding a white spear. "Would you two happen to know where a young lady named Saya might be?" Chase asked.

ELSEWHERE

"All right, Kim, what's so important that you had to drag me away from everyone else?" Rai questioned as his girlfriend lead him deeper into the forest.

"Just trust me, you're going to thank me for this… and no, you're not getting lucky either." They continued for a while until Kim finally found the place she was looking for. It was a small clearing in the forest, the trees lining the outside seemed to be arranged in a perfect circle and, unlike every other clearing, the grass was actually pretty short. Up above the full moon could be seen shining above them, almost like it was fixed right there just for them.

"What's going on, Kimiko?" Rai asked with a suspicious grin.

Kim just giggled and pulled him close. "Look Rai, I've been thinking… I know your memories are coming back, but it's just going to slow for me…. You just barely remember how we met or even how we got together… I want you to remember everything… but I know it'll take a while for that to happen... so until it does…" she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small golden chain bracelet with three charms hanging from it. "… You'll just have to share my memories of everything instead."

"I recognize that thing… what's it do?" Rai asked.

"It's a Shen Gong Wu that controls memories; the Memory Charm Bracelet. It can recreate, rearrange, or even just erase memories." Kim explained. "Rai, if you'll let me, I'll plant my memories of us into your mind… that way you'll be able to remember all the time we've shared together… are you up for it?"

Rai just smiled at her and tightened his arms around her slightly before pressing their lips together briefly. "Go for it." he said.

Kim nodded and gave him one last peck on the lip and stepping back, carefully aiming the bracelet at him and whispering its name. The thin golden chain and its three charms glowed brightly and instantly Rai's mind was flooded with images: a hooded figure hitting him with a hammer as Kim watched in horror; Kim sitting next to his bed, watching over him while he was injured; their little trip into the underworld; waking up next to Kim after they'd accidentally fallen asleep together the night before; he, Kim, and Omi sitting in a tree with Clay and Saya sitting closely at its base; the first time they made love and so much more. Rai couldn't believe that he'd completely lost all of this, forgotten all of the good and bad times that he and Kimiko had shared.

As soon as he snapped out of his trance of memories being implanted into his mind. He pulled Kimiko close again and hugged her tightly. "I can never thank you enough…" he whispered into her ear. "I love you… and every moment we've shared together… so much."

Kim just sighed and hugged him back as she started crying tears of joy. "I love you too Rai."

ELSEWHERE

Panda Bubba patiently drummed his fingers against the log he sat on as he waited for Jack Spicer's signal. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but he knew that Jack wasn't subtle enough for him not to notice it. "That idiot had better have that bomb finished." He growled.

Right on cue a portal opened up on the other side of the fire and Katnappe jumped out with the Golden Tiger Claws. "We move now." she said before slashing the claws through the air and jumping through that portal.

"Finally." Panda Bubba growled. He snapped his fingers and his two lackeys approached him from the trees behind him. "Gather everyone. It's time to start a war."

* * *

(a/n) a lot more emotional junk happened in this chapter than anything else. I figured that it was about time I gave Rai most of his memory back (sort of) not to mention having Chase and Chief finally join the resistance. then there was that little thing with Jet and Jess... thats just siblings for ya, nuff said... and for the record all of the cities I mentioned with outposts that're attacking Beijing are actual cities in china. chekc google maps for yourself.


	14. One Last Stand Part 2

Chapter 13: One Last Stand Part 2

Wuya gazed out to the city which surrounded her palace, glaring at anything that she saw. She was standing by the railing of a balcony, watching for anything suspicious. Greed was sitting at a stone table near by sipping wine from a goblet. "Something's going to happen today." The Sin of Lust growled. She could smell it in the air. An unmistakable odor hung in the air throughout Beijing… the odor of rebellion. "Something big."

"Why do you worry?" Greed asked. "We have nearly unlimited magical powers. Rebellions have been staged on all of us except for Pride and, oddly enough, Envy. But none have been successful in any way. We are invincible."

Wuya shook her head and sat down across the table from Greed, taking a sip of wine from her own goblet. "I don't question that, Greed." She insisted. "Indeed, we are invincible and, with a few exceptions, immortal. I just have the strangest feeling that… the end is coming soon."

"There are less than six months before the year is up." Greed explained. "On the last day of the year, Pride will destroy the world and remake it in his own image, making us gods. It's as simple as that."

Wuya sighed and took another drink. "Those monks are still alive. I've dealt with them enough to know that they'll figure out our plans eventually, then they'll find a way to stop it and they'll keep trying until they succeed or they all die. Those annoying monks are… resourceful to put it lightly."

"So give them what they wish." Greed said. "If they wish to fight until they die then allow them too. We can make sure that they die and then there will be nothing standing in our way." Wuya glared at her, but eventually sighed and nodded. "You over think things. Getting rid of your rivals is as simply as…" one of her swords magically appeared in her hand, giving away the message.

Wuya wanted to say something back, but before she could one of her golem guards shot out of the wall and kneeled to her. "Lady Lust, I bring disturbing news." it said. "Multiple groups of civilians have been spotted heading for Beijing coming from all surrounding roads."

"What are the numbers?" Wuya demanded.

"Uncertain. But there are at least a dozen per group. They do not appear to be armed, but a mass migration to a single city is most unusual."

"Indeed." Wuya stood and looked out to the city again, contemplating what her next move should be. "Send guards to every way in or out of the city. I don't want anyone carrying so much as a pocket knife in my city. If they resist… bring every one of them to me… dead or alive."

LATER

Wuya waited for her guards to return with prisoners, but they hadn't yet. Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, and Wrath were standing behind her; Wrath was twitching in anticipation for anything to happen that might cause a battle to break out. All five of them could feel it now, there was something brewing the city. What exactly it was they couldn't say, but they knew it was going to be big.

Gluttony suddenly looked to his left and picked up his club, pointing it in the same direction. The other four present Sins looked to where he was pointing and, sure enough, they witnessed the beginning of the battle that would change their fate.

Out of nowhere an explosion took out a chunk of the wall that surrounded Wuya's palace. The thundering bang and fiery cloud was quickly followed by the sound of engines roaring and six motorcycles decorated to look like snakes came shooting through the hole in the wall.

PALACE GROUNDS

Jessie shouted in victory and punched the air as she did a wheelie on her bike. She then grabbed a ruby skull from her pocket and shouted, "Skulls of Mento!" The Skull then began speaking to her.

"Now?" the Skull asked in Panda Bubba's voice.

"Infiltration complete!" Jessie announced. "Me and the Vipers are gunna raise some hell for a while, so you and the army get here fast!"

"Right." Panda Bubba agreed. "Over and out."

Jessie shoved the skull back into her pocket and shouted to the five bikers behind her. "You girls ready to kick some ass Texas style?" Four of the five cheered and started swinging chains above their heads, but the last rode up to her to speak as the other four split from them to cause some mayhem.

"Remember, we're just a distraction until everyone else gets here." Kimiko advised to Jessie. "There's a very real possibility that a lot of us could die today, so be careful."

"Sorry, Kim. But careful isn't in my job description!" with that Jessie pulled a chair from seemingly nowhere, gave off one last "**WOOHOO!**" and rode off, crashing through a row of potted plants.

Kim just rubbed her temples. "What did I get myself into?" she asked herself before doing a back flip off of her bike and summoning her element to engulf her entire body in fire. When she landed on her feet she started throwing fireballs at every balcony she saw, aiming particularly at one where she saw a red glimmer that she knew was Wuya's hair.

For the next fifteen minutes or so the five bikers and Kimiko completely trashed Wuya's court yard, leveling it down to nothing but dirt, muddy grass, and shattered pottery fragments. Surprisingly the only retaliation they'd gotten were a few of Wuya's Golem Guards. This told Kim that Wuya knew what was going on and she was saving the big guns for when the real battle started. And wouldn't you know it, she had perfect timing. At that very second the Sin's of Lust, Wrath, Greed, Sloth, and Gluttony appeared in the court yard along with an army of Wuya's Golem Guards and Sloth's robots and undead roman soldiers. And not two seconds later Panda Bubba and Raphael came marching through the whole in the palace wall, followed by the Heylin Cyclopes, Mala Mala Jong, and an army of nameless soldiers dotted with familiar faces from the temple's resistance branch. Kim let her flame die down and did another back flip through the air as all five of the Black Vipers zoomed over to join the army, landing perfectly at Rai's side with Omi, Mimi, Clay, Saya, Julia, Elena, the others from her resistance outpost, and the many soldiers from other branches of the resistance.

Panda Bubba and Raphael stepped forward, taking only a few steps but still distinguishing themselves as the leaders. Wuya and Wrath followed their example. "Surrender now!" Panda Bubba called. "The liberation of this world is inevitable! Asia will only be the beginning!" His words were met with a chorus of cheering from the army behind.

"We Sin's are all powerful!" Wuya shouted back. "Fight us if you wish, but you will be sacrificing yourselves in vain of a lost cause. We Sins are eternal, and we shall rule this world until it end!"

"So be it." Raphael spat before turning to his army. "Comrades, to war!"

"Take no prisoners!" Wrath shouted to the Sin's army.

The two armies charged and slammed into each other, the two armies mixing together into a mass battle and the sounds of war filled the air.

Nobody noticed a small group of rebels lead by Panda Bubba sneaking off and breaking into the palace.

INSIDE THE PALACE

Panda Bubba, his two goons, Omi, Saya, Jermaine, and Guan quickly made their way through the palace. The plan was working perfectly so far. The battle outside was the perfect distraction, so there were absolutely no guards at all inside the palace. The only way it could possibly have gotten any better would be if there was cake and ice cream waiting for them in Wuya's bedroom, where they were going to plant the bomb.

"Whaddo you think the odds are of cake and ice cream actually being there?" Jermaine joked.

"This is no time to screw around, Jermaine." Omi advised.

"Ya know, you are really getting better at the slang, Omi dawg."

"Thank you."

Panda Bubba came to a sudden stop as the hall split into three directions. He paused and rubbed her chin, trying to remember which direction Wuya's bedroom was. His two goons quickly started arguing, one insisting that it was the left hallway while the other said it was the right. Their arguing quickly annoyed Panda Bubba so he decided to take an alternative route. He pulled on a golden gauntlet and shouted, "Fist of Tebigong!" before punching the wall and reducing it to rubble. "I remember seeing inside this room the last time we were here." Panda Bubba said. "We go right."

"That solves one problem." Saya chuckled.

"But a thousand more lie before us." Guan muttered.

"What is it with you monks and the number one thousand?" Jermaine asked.

"It simply sounds more ominous than most other numbers." Guan explained.

A few minutes later they found themselves running down the hall that clearly lead to Wuya's bedroom, otherwise known as the exact center of the palace. Guan and Jermaine kicked in the doors and they all ran inside, beginning to kick over furniture and throw anything on the floor aside to make room for Jack's bomb. Once the floor was cleared Panda Bubba pulled out a small remote and hit a red button on it.

Instantly a rift appeared in the air, three slashes through space and time, and Katnappe and Nina jumped through. Tubbimura followed after them, walking backwards and bent over as if her were lifting a couch. As it turned out Jack was on the other end lifting up the other side, and this thing was defiantly as big as a couch but it looked nothing like one. It was a long metal cylinder welded onto a steel block that kept it from rolling around. Set into the cylinder were about five glass rings which exposed the inside, intricate circuitry with bolts of purple electricity shooting around. There was also a metal box with a few buttons and a screen set onto the center of it.

The big surprise, however, was Jack's… upgrade. Jack was lifting his end of the bomb with only his right arm… which, if the others remembered correctly, wasn't there the last time they'd seen him. But they could clearly see how it had come back. Jack no long wore his trench coat, now only wearing a black tank top. This revealed Jacks new, cybernetic arm. From his right shoulder down to his finger tips his arm was completely metal, you could actually hear the gears and circuitry working every time it moved.

"All right, we don't have a lot of time so let's get moving. First things first…" Jack set down the bomb and stole the Golden Tiger Claws from Katnappe, then handed them over to Nina. "Nina, I want you to take these and go outside. Help anyone and everyone you can get as far away from this place as possible." Nina started to argue, but Jack cut her off at the last second. "We need to get everyone out of her as fast as possible and the Golden Tiger Claws are the fastest way there is. I need to stay here to make last minute preparations to the bomb and the others are going to stay just in case anyone shows up to stop us. I'm trusting you to do this, all right?"

Nina glared at him for a few seconds but eventually sighed. "All right, honey. Just promise you'll come out of her alive."

Jack smiled, pulled her close with his real arm, and gave her a quick kiss. "Promise." He said after wards. With that Nina took the Tiger Claws and teleported away. After she was gone Jack kneeled in front of the bomb and went to work. "Start praying, boys and girls." He said. "If this doesn't work then we're all dead."

BACK OUTSIDE

The battle raged on, the sounds of steel, bullets, and Shen Gong Wu endlessly going off. Countless golems, robot, undead soldiers, and unnamed rebels had already been taken down, but many more still stood, still battling.

Hamster stood in the middle of a circle of golems, robots, and undead soldiers with his arms folded. All of his enemies seemed confused, as if trying to decide whether or not the rodent was a threat or not. It didn't take long for them to make their decision, however. Out of nowhere Hamster pulled the two halves of the Moby Morph from behind his back and slammed them together.

When he pulled them apart he immediately grew larger, going from a few inches tall to at least six feet tall. Next his pudgy rodent body slimmed down and the fur receded back into his skin. Last his remaining rodent features disappeared, his tiny black nose and bucked teeth changing into a normal human nose and regular sized teen. He was once again in the body that was truly his. Bald head, gray mustache, that wise look that most old people have, and his gray and blue robes. He was himself again.

He was Master Fung.

Jet pulled two pistols from his belt and started firing them at anything not human that came his way. Whether it was point blank range or just good aiming he took down every robot or undead soldier that came his way and a quick blast from the Eye of Dashi took down every golem. When he ran out of magazines for his hand guns he grinned sinisterly, dropped them both and pulled two MP7's from the straps on his back and just went to town. He was kicking ass, helping liberate an entire continent, and having a blast all at the same time.

That is, until she showed up.

The golems, robots, and undead soldiers suddenly stopped coming at him, backing off to make a small clearing and some cleared a path for the Sin that was coming his way. The Sin of Greed lazily strutted towards him, dragging the tips of her two swords across the ground and smiling under her pink veil. She could see the fear in the boy's eyes but knew he was going to fight to the end.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Greed said as she entered the clearing and the path closed behind her. "Perhaps slaughtering these minions aren't what you're really seeking…?" she lifted one arm and pointed a sword towards him. "How would you like a real challenge?"

Jet immediately removed the magazines from both of his guns and replaced them with two new ones from his belt. "Bring it." he said smugly. "I'll mow you down like the rest of these guys and you'll just be another notch on my belt."

Greed giggled. "Cocky… I'll have to fix that."

Jet stood his ground, quickly aimed his MP7's directly at Greed and started firing. Greed just laughed again and started walking towards him. The bullets simply passed through her as if she were a ghost. By the time Jet realized what he'd gotten himself into it was too late.

Rai slashed down another undead soldier with the Sword of the Storms and then stabbed at an oncoming robot. After that he glanced around. That area was starting to thin out and he was sure that the other rebels around could handle what was left. He quickly noticed a very dense cluster of golems, robots, and undead soldiers, all of which were facing the same direction like a bunch of high school kids watching a fight. He ran over to them and started hacking and slashing his way through them. Amazingly they didn't resist. They seemed too interested in whatever they were watching to care that they were being brutally murdered (nice choice of words).

It wasn't until he heard a scream that Rai stopped killing them and started pushing his way through to see what was going on. But when he saw, it was too late. Jet stood motionlessly with a shocked expression on his face, simply staring at the Sin of Greed who was standing close to him and, as far as Rai could tell, grinning under her veil. Rai couldn't believe his eyes…

Greed had stabbed Jet clear through his stomach with the blood drenched blade sticking out of the other end.

Greed laughed and pulled her blade back, taking away Jet's only support and letting him drop to the ground. Rai wanted to run over to him and make sure he was all right, tell him that he'd be fine and he'd see Jess again soon. But Rai knew that it was pointless. Even a blind man could've seen it.

Jet was dead… there was no way to save him.

It was then that Greed noticed him standing at the edge of the circle. "Well, well... come to join you're little friend have you?"

Rai didn't bother answering. All he did was let his anger grow inside until it was ready to burst. He unleashed his rage as the white of his eyes turned black and his irises turned blood red. He roared and tore his shirt off as a black spot appeared on his chest and a pair of black angel wings appeared on his back. With one last roar the hilt of a sword shot out of his chest and he grabbed it and pulled until the entire sword had emerged, black as the night sky with etchings that glowed neon green.

Now the fear could be seen in Greed's eyes… and scared couldn't even begin to describe how she felt.

"**DIE!**" Rai shouted.

Rai flapped his wings and rose a few feet into the air before gliding over the ground at lightning speed and tackling Greed, knocking her to the ground. Greed quickly vanished and reappeared behind him on her feet with her two swords in hand. Rai swung around and slashed through the air, sending a wave of red energy flying at her. Greed barely managed to block it by crossing her swords in front of her. But thanks to this she wasn't able to avoid Rai when he came flying at her and punched her in the face. Greed couldn't even defend herself, he was so fast. She'd barely fallen backward when Rai was behind her and grabbed her by the arm and threw her into the air. She was quite a few meters above the ground when Rai appeared out of nowhere and kicked her in the side, then he teleported to the other side of her and slashed, cutting clean through her skin and barely missing the vital organs. After that he teleported above her, did a quick flip through the air, and kicked her in the stomach, sending her soaring back down to earth and crashing into the ground. Rai remained in the air and glared at her for a few seconds before teleporting back to the ground.

Rai reappeared at the edge of the small crater that Greed had made. He loomed over her, his blood red eyes piercing her with complete horror. "Please… spare me…" she groaned.

Rai just spat at her and gripped his blade in his hand. He lifted the sword over his head and then flipped it so that the blade was pointing at Greed… then her brought the blade down.

It stabbed into the ground directly next to Greed's head.

"You're not mine to kill." He growled before walking away. He picked up Jet's body and cradled it in his arms before flying off.

* * *

(a/n) sorry it took me so long to update this, but I've been busy with school and other stories and Youtube stuff... you get the picture. anyway, just wanted to say that the next chapter will be the end of Part 2 and (just to make you anticipate it even more) I'll be killing someone one off in the next chapter too... I know, the suspence is killing you XD. (ps. if you dont know what MP7's are, they're hand held machine guns).


	15. One Last Stand Part 3

Chapter 14: One Last Stand Part 3

The battle raged on. Across the palace court yard countless golem guards, undead soldiers, robots, and rebellion soldiers were being slaughtered by each other. Countless dead. Countless still fighting. Occasionally a girl with auburn hair would appear using the Golden Tiger Claws to transport wounded rebels out of the city; a boy with black wings was carrying the dead body of his friend away; a gang of girls on motorcycles decorated to look like vipers were rampaging, taking out what they could with their chains; two giants, one with a single eye and another made of objects brought to life, obliterated anything that got in their way. There had been few casualties on the side of the Sins. The Sin of Greed lie unconscious in the battle fields but the others still fought bravely. The Sin of Gluttony had lost control, crushing anything he saw and not caring what or who it was; the Sin of Wrath was firing guns like a mad man but never missing his target; the Sin of Sloth was ordering his robots around; and the Sin of Lust was cutting down any rebel that fell in her line of sight.

Hannibal Bean watched all of this through a cloud of magic hovering in front of him. Since losing the Moby Morpher he'd taken to his armor again, so he drummed his iron fingers on the side of his throne. He glanced away from the battle for a moment to take in his surroundings. The Yin-Yang World hadn't changed at all since he'd hidden in it to heal… it never did. "Time for a change of scenery…" he mumbled. "… Time for me to choose a side. Yingy!"

The Yin-Yang bird fluttered down from the darkness of the Yin-Yang World and landed on its master's shoulder. "Take me to Beijing." Hannibal ordered. The gray and black bird with the blood red crest squawked and flapped its wings, lifting its master's armored body easily into the air and passing through a portal which appeared before them.

LUSTS PALACE

Wrath laughed insanely as he fired off round after round seemingly randomly into the crowd of rebels and Sin soldiers, though in reality he was carefully aiming and only hitting the rebels. "Oh, what fun, what fun!" Wrath cackled. "I haven't slaughtered like this since the last time I played Grand Theft Auto!"

"Hey!"

Wrath stopped and whirled around, aiming his guns but not firing right away. He found one of the monks standing a few yards away cracking his knuckles. He vaguely recognized him, but couldn't quite figure it out. This monk wore a cowboy hat and spoke with a southern accent. "Carl?" Wrath questioned.

"That's Clay." Clay growled.

They glared at each other for a moment, time seeming to freeze around them like a stand off in an old Clint Eastwood western. You could see it in their eyes: Clay was itching to crack Wrath's skull wide open and Wrath just had that insane look in his eye that meant he belonged in a mental hospital.

Without warning Wrath opened fire. Bullets went flying straight at Clay, but amazingly the bullets either stopped in mid air and dropped right before hitting him or ricocheted off of him. "I'm the Dragon of the Earth." Clay explained. "Most bullets are made of lead, which comes from the earth. In other words, you can't touch me."

Wrath growled, but then smirked when he remembered. "Oh, I wouldn't say that." he snickered before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a magazine of bullets. "Pride told me something like this might happen, so he wiped up a secret weapon for me… bullets made of pure magic." He pulled out the current magazine and replaced it with the new one and quickly took aim. But before he could shoot…

Something crashed down in between them, leaving a small crater in its wake. It was a suit of armor; metal black as the night sky, horns and spikes of gold, and red glowing eyes inside of the helmet. "Peek-a-boo." Hannibal chuckled darkly before standing and glancing between Clay and Wrath.

"Oh boy, another target! And me without armor piercing rounds." Wrath joked.

"What're you doing here, Hannibal?" Clay demanded.

"Regretting what I'm about to do." Hannibal said before turning to Wrath. "Say hello to Satan for me."

ELSEWHERE

"Think we can take him?"

"Gluttony? He's a brute but he's an idiot. As long as we have Mala Mala Jong and Cyclops fighting with us he'll be easy.

"Unlike you."

"Hey, we haven't been dating that long."

"It's been over six months!"

"Would you two get your heads out of the toilet?" Mimi demanded, screaming at the two girls standing next to her. Jewel and Elena just giggled and released each others hands. "Seriously," Mimi continued. "We're in the middle of a battle field and you're talking about your relationship! What's wrong with you?"

Elena and Jewel nodded in agreement and turned back to Gluttony. For a few minutes now they'd been watching the Sin rampage from on top of the palace wall, trying to decide if they could take him or not. They knew it wouldn't be easy, but with two giants of their own they figured they at least had a shot.

"All right. Let's do this." Julia said before standing up and jumping off the wall, followed quickly by Elena and Mimi.

When they landed Julia and Mimi darted for Gluttony while Elena remained behind for a moment to pull on the Emperor Scorpion and shout its name. Mala Mala Jong instantly became alert and, at Elena's command, rushed at Gluttony. Cyclops followed after him for reasons his tiny brain couldn't even comprehend. The two giants leapt at and tackled Gluttony to the ground, catching him by surprise. Gluttony roared, easily got back to his feet and threw them off of his back.

Then the girls came out of nowhere, Mimi jumping into the air and slamming the Hitsuji Hammer right into the Sin's stone mask while Jewel and Elena simultaneously flipped through the air, slammed their heels into Gluttony's rock hard abs and kicked him to the ground. The hammer actually seemed to do some damage as the stone mask was now cracked slightly. But again this only made Gluttony angrier as he roared again and jumped to his feet, swinging his club like a mad man and knocking random rebels and soldiers of the Sins to the ground, more than likely killing them. Gluttony was about to turn on his true attackers, but before he could spot them Jong captured him with the Lasso Boa Boa, binding his arms to his sides. Julia then pulled the Thorn of Thunderbolts out and blasted the titan with it. This caused the crack in his mask to spread and break completely. The mask split and fell off in two halves, revealing the face underneath.

Gluttony had a monstrous face to go with his monstrous body. With the mask on it looked mostly normal, other than being oversized, but without it you could tell why he wore it. He had no hair, including eyebrows, and he obviously hadn't for years. His entire head was horribly burned, scars and slightly charred skin covering his head from the nose up. Bits and pieces of burned flesh hung off in places and in one small spot his skull could even bee seen. The crazed look in his eye was also answered: either the burns had burned his eyes open permanently or they'd been burned off. He looked like he was in so much pain. He was hideous…

But the girls still felt sorry for him… even if he was evil.

Julia and Elena instinctively grabbed each others hands and Mimi hid behind Cyclops leg. Now they'd made Gluttony mad… and they knew it.

INSIDE THE PALACE

The bomb was set. Jack, Omi, Saya, Panda Bubba, Jermaine, Guan, Tubbimura, Katnappe, and Panda Bubba's two goons were high tailing it as fast as they could out of the palace. They didn't know the exact way they came in, but it didn't really matter. This place was about to go to hell, so what did knocking down a few walls matter?

"How long do we have?" Omi asked Jack as Panda Bubba punched through a wall with the fist of Tebigong.

"It's not a time bomb. It's remote controlled." Jack explained as he pulled a small black remote out of his pocket. "I have to punch in the correct code before the bomb can go off. So, unless something goes horribly wrong, we'll all be able to escape with no problems."

"And if something does go horribly wrong?" Omi questioned.

"We all die in a fiery explosion."

"Ah… good to know."

"Not really." Jermaine growled.

The group was now in a hallway that they suspected stretched from one end of the castle to the other, considering that it stretched so far that they could barely see the farther end. They began racing for the closer end which was still pretty far away. But they had barely made it half way when walls of green fire appeared on either side of them and Wuya appeared on the other side of the front one, laughing devilishly as she stepped through and glared at them.

"Well, well, well… look what we have here? I'm guessing this isn't a panty raid since the Dragon of Lightning and the crazy cat girl are here." Wuya spat.

"Get out of our way!" Guan shouted as he, Tubbimura and Katnappe jumped in front of the others. "We know we are loosing this battle and we are on our way to give the order to retreat."

"And what, might I ask, are you doing in my palace?" Wuya demanded.

"No sense going to war without leaving a mark." Jermaine said cockily, pointing his thumb to the hole in the wall behind them.

Wuya growled and clenched her fists. "You'll have to pay for that… I'm afraid I don't take money, however… blood will work though." The witch snapped her fingers and nine golem guards shot out of the walls, grabbing onto everyone except Omi and Wuya and fusing back into the walls, trapping them there. "You're first." Wuya said, looking at Omi.

Wuya dashed at Omi, ready to tear him apart and scatter his shattered body around the hall, but before she could someone dropped down from the ceiling, crashed onto her back and pinned her to the ground. The person, once he was sure she was pinned down, grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back just enough so that she could see his face out of the corner of her eye. "Never threaten my students." Fung growled.

"Master Fung!" Omi shouted in excitement.

"Now is not the time, Omi!" Fung shouted as Wuya vanished from beneath him and reappeared behind Omi. "Free the others and get out of here! I will deal with her."

"But Master…"

"Go!" Fung ordered. Omi didn't dare argue any further and, with a few powerful kicks to the wall, freed Jack, Panda Bubba, Saya and the others and the took off, crashing through the wall and jumping down to the battle field below.

"I should've known you were the rodent." Wuya said. "But now I'll have the pleasure of killing you for real… something the second Envy was too much of a pussy to do."

"Before we do this, tell me…" Fung clenched his fist and glared at her, not bothering to hide the tears running down his cheeks. "Who has replaced the second Envy?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her.

Wuya giggled and grinned. "Now, now, let's not **rush** into things."

PALACE COURT YARD

Raphael and Vlad roared as they unloaded shot after shot from their guns, taking down any undead soldier, robot, or golem guard that came their way. The two Russians were trapped between a wall of the Sin's soldiers and a wall and they'd decided that if they were going to die they were going to die fighting.

Raphael cocked his shot gun one more time and blasted an oncoming robot, causing it to hurl backwards and knock over a few undead soldiers. That was his last shot and he didn't have any spare ammunition left. He was sure that Vlad, though still able to shoot, was running low on ammo as well. The elderly man was about to drop his gun completely and rush into the crowd head on when he heard something from above.

"Bonsai!"

Panda Bubba, Jack, Omi, Saya, Tubbimura, Katnappe, Jermaine, Guan, and Panda Bubba's two lackeys just fell from the sky and started fighting their way through the crowd, completely destroying robots, demolishing golem guards, and sending the undead soldiers back to their graves. Panda Bubba remained behind for a moment and turned to Raphael. "Give the order to everyone. We retreat now and get as far away from the city as possible." he ordered before rushing odd to join the fight.

Raphael reached into his pocket and pulled out another gun, a flare gun. He quickly aimed directly into the air and pulled the trigger, sending a blinding red light hurling into the sky. As soon as it was high enough the rebels ran for it, running for the nearest exit or making their own, but making sure they were on their way to safety. Raphael and Vlad only remained behind long enough to make sure those remaining behind were dead or not on their side before taking off themselves.

LATER OUTSIDE OF THE CITY

The rebel army was retreating, running for their lives and not bothering to stop and drag a small group of stragglers with them Jack, Panda Bubba and Raphael stood on a hill top, looking down to the city, focusing on the palace and the damage they'd done to it. It was time to finish the job, but they still had to wait a bit longer.

Finally Nina appeared with the Golden Tiger Claws. "That's all of the injured and the able bodies are all out of the city as far as I can tell. The dead, as much as it pains me to say, I had to leave behind. Too much extra cargo." The red head explained.

Jack nodded and pulled the remote out of his pocket. "All right. Here goes nothing.

Before he could push the button Kimiko pulled up on her Black Viper bike with Rai sitting behind her. Mala Mala Jong and Cyclops came running after them, Jong holding Julia and Elena on its shoulders while Cyclops had Mimi and Clay on its. After them Omi, Saya, Guan and Jermaine rushed up. All came to watch the end of this, but some had another reason. "No!" Omi shouted. "Master Fung is still in there!"

"What're you talking about?" Clay demanded. "We have no idea where Master Fung is!"

"He was Hamster the whole time." Saya explained. "And he's still down there fighting Wuya. We have to save him!"

Guan grabbed the siblings by their shoulders and pulled them back a bit. "If anyone can survive it is your master." He reassured them. "You need not worry." Omi tried to protest, but knew that Guan was right and decided to drop it.

"Ok, it there are no more arguments I'm blowing this damn thing up." Jack said. With no further hesitation he punched in the code and hit the trigger button.

Nothing happened.

Jack, confused, pressed it again. Still nothing. He hit the button repeatedly but each click was followed by more nothing. "Damn!" Jack shouted. "Something's wrong, it wont detonate!" he clicked it one last time before throwing the remote to the ground and stomping it into pieces. "Damn it! Now we'll have to give up or someone will have to detonate it manually!"

Everyone went silent, not even daring to breath. They'd come so close to accomplishing their goal… but now it almost wasn't worth it. Manually? But that meant…

"Are you sure there isn't any way to fix it from here?" Kimiko asked.

Jack shook his head. "It's too complex. Some one has to go back there and punch in the code if we want this to go through… but there's no way they'll be able to make it back."

"We've come too far to give up now!" Panda Bubba insisted. "I'll do it myself if I have too!"

Again Jack disagreed. "I'm the only one who knows the code… I have to do it."

"Jack, no!" Nina pleaded, grabbing her boyfriends arm. "I won't let you!"

"I have to do this Nina!" Jack snapped, pulling away from her. "If we give up now the Sins may rule the entire world forever… or until they decide to end it."

"Jack, please…" Nina sobbed, tears running down her cheek now. "I love you so much… don't leave me alone…"

"And I love you too much… to let you live a life of misery and hiding." Jack said. His mind was set. Nina was in too much shock to resist when he took the Golden Tiger Claws from her. He turned around and faced the city. "Good bye." He said.

But just as he was about to slash the claws through the air Raphael turned him around by grabbing and pulling his shoulder and then punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "Fool." Raphael said. "You have something to live for." The elderly Russian then took the Golden Tiger Claws from him and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. "No attention span… idiot had to write down the code." He turned back to Nina and the others. "Tell Katnappe I thanked her for the tip." With that he slashed the claws through the air and jumped through the portal, throwing the claws back before it closed.

Everyone waited and watched. It only took a few seconds before a massive explosion erupted from Lust's palace. They were hit with the wave of resulting shock wave and a fiery mushroom cloud was there when the light of the explosion died down. Their job was done.

"Let us go." Panda Bubba said. "We have heroes to honor."

End Part 2: The Rebellion

* * *

(a/n) I have to say, I am very pleased with how this turned out. sure, most of the battles were open ended but that was only to save space (and I wanted to get this done as fast as possible). still a very fitting ending to this part and part 3 will start soon. one more thing though, I neither confirm or deneigh whether Master Fung is dead or not. Rapheal is definatly dead, however. caught in the middle of the explosion, hes gone. just wanted to clear that up.


	16. Aftermath

Part 3: The Revolution

Chapter 15: Aftermath

"**PRIDE!**"

Rush appeared in the Sin's council room and stormed up to the highest throne where Pride sat. Rush grabbed the front of Pride's shirt and lifted him into the air the best of he could, glaring at his leader while Pride remained calm. "You never told me that people were going to die!"

"I did not realize that this was in question." Pride stated.

"Those were my friends that almost died! And people that were helping them did die." Rush shouted.

"They **were **your friends, Envy." Pride growled as a surge of energy shot from his body, knocking Rush to the ground. "But now they are nothing but insects… they are expendable and should be tortured until the day they die for standing against us! Why can you not understand this? Why do you remain so… human?"

Rush got to his feet and glared at Pride, the Seal of Thanatos glowing brightly on his forehead. "Because I am human."

"… I believe you have a job to do." Pride spat. Rush just turned around and stormed away as the seal disappeared for his forehead. He took one last look at Pride before vanishing. "And so begins… the end." Pride said.

~BENEATH TEMPLE RUINS~

It was the first time it had rained in the paradise beneath the temple ruins. The weather seemed to react with the mass emotions of the inhabitants. It was raining because they were mourning the two they'd lost in the battle at Lust's palace. Mala Mala Jong carried two crudely made coffins on its shoulders, one carrying the body of Jet and the other, though empty, carrying Raphael's honor. The rebels stood on either side of Jong, watching as it took the two coffins to the burial sight. Most simply stood silently, honoring the deceased. Chase and Hannibal (still in his armor) waited for the funerals to end further in the woods. They weren't concerned with honoring the dead, only the survival of the world and the living. Panda Bubba also stood apart from the others, but was to serve as a sort of priest and speak on the deceased's behalf. Jess, though standing with the group, could still be distinguished from the others. Jess was sobbing for the loss of her brother… the last true family she had.

Mala Mala Jong set the two coffins into the hole and Clay moved a large pile of dirt over them with a flick of his wrist. Panda Bubba lifted his head and began speaking. "Today we honor two valiant warriors who gave their lives in order to help liberate humanity from the tyranny of the Seven Deadly Sins." he said. "Young Jet stood alone against the Sin of Greed and fought to the end. My late co-leader Raphael willingly gave his life to destroy Lust's palace. We honor their sacrifice and hope the get the after life that they deserve, but today we are also here to make a promise to them. Though the Sin of Lust lives on and we were unsuccessful in liberating Asia, we were successful in making a stand, telling the Sins that we are not going down without a fight. In honor of Jet and Raphael, we will liberate this planet or die trying!"

The others cheered, punching the air in agreement before scattering, going to do their own thing. Rai, Kim, Clay, Saya, Omi, Mimi, Julia, Elena and Jess stayed together and set up a fire in their won secluded clearing once the rain died down. Jess was no longer sobbing, but she was still in complete shock and almost unable to speak. She clung to Rai's arm most of the time, which sort of annoyed Kim but she didn't bother trying to stop her. Jess was in a fragile state and needed someone to support and comfort her, obviously the person she was closest too… in this case, Rai.

"So, what do we do now?" Clay asked. He didn't get an answer. There had never been a plan on what to do after the destroyed Lust's palace. They just figured things would go smoothly from there… but then again, when did anything ever go smoothly?

"Maybe…" Mimi said. "Maybe we should consider funerals for Rush and Master Fung." She suggested.

Omi glared at his girlfriend and let go of her hand. "I refuse to believe Master Fung is dead until I see evidence." He growled.

"He was caught in the middle of the explosion!" Mimi pointed out.

"So was Wuya but we know she's alive!" Omi snapped. "And besides, Guan said himself that if anyone could survive something like that it was Master Fung."

"I agree with Omi." Elena said. "We have no proof that Master Fung or Rush are dead. Think about it. Master Fung was hiding right under our noses since we regrouped and haven't seen any sign of Rush since we were separated. Master Fung has the skill and intelligence to live through an explosion like that…"

"But what about Rush?" Kim questioned. "We all regrouped within a couple weeks. Why couldn't Rush do the same? The way I see it, either he's dead…"

"Or he doesn't want to be found." Rai said.

"You're all missing the point." Saya said. "There is a very real possibility that they're both gone. We don't know if they are or not, but if they are then wee need to honor them."

"And what if they're not?" Omi asked.

"Then we knock down the grave stones and throw a party." Jewel said.

The conversation continued for a while, but at some point Jess, who'd remained quiet the whole time, got up and walked away into the forest. It didn't take long for them to realize why. Her brother had just died and all they were talking about was death. What was wrong with them? Rai glanced over to Kim. She knew immediately what he wanted to do and was pleased that he was considering her feelings first. "Go ahead. She needs you right now." Kim answered. Rai nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and then went after Jess.

Just as Rai left Saya stood up and stretched her arms. "I've got stuff to do too." she said. "I'll be back in a bit."

~ELSEWHERE~

Chase and Chief glanced up from their fire as Saya stepped into their clearing and joined them around it. "Ok, I'm here. Now what do you two want?" she questioned.

Chase turned away from her and back to Chief, nodding at him. Chief nodded back and began to speak. "I believe you know better that most here that the means that these people are using to defeat the Sins will never work."

"Of course." Saya said. "I only agreed to help with blowing up Lust's palace out of spite."

"But do you know how the Sins were defeated fifteen hundred years ago?" Chase asked. "Do you know how Pride and the other Sins, with the exception of Lust of course, were imprisoned?"

"Does anyone but you two?" Saya mumbled, rolling her eyes.

Chief ignored her sarcasm and began the story. "Fifteen hundred years ago, when the Seven Deadly Sins emerged from what we can only assume is a true hell, Grand Master Dashi, Guan, Chase, and myself banded together to battle them but soon found ourselves easily outmatched. We went into hiding for a time until one day the witch doctor of my tribe came to me, possessed by a strange purple haze. The spirit that possessed him gave us the means of which to defeat, though not destroy, the Sins."

"In order to defeat my brother, as the spirit called Pride," Chase continued, "you must gather the seven virtues together and unleash the golden force upon the evil ones, it said. We didn't quite understand until after the spirit left the witch doctors body. There was a faint golden aura coming from the old man. He was Humility. From there we set out across the globe, searching for those who carried the virtues within them. It did not take us long, slightly less than a year in fact. But soon we had the virtues of Humility, Forgiveness, Temperance, Chastity, Charity, Diligence, and Kindness on our side."

"We gathered an army and attacked the Sins head on." Chief continued. "It was not long before they began to fall. First was Wrath." To Saya's amazement, an image of a Samurai with a sword through its chest appeared in the fire, but disappeared quickly. "Then Gluttony." This time the image was of a monstrously obese and hideously scarred man. His skull seemed to get crushed. He continued to name them off until only Lust and Pride were left. Together, we helped the virtue of Humility defeat Pride, sealing him in a stone statue atop a mountain in what is now Kenya. We hoped that he would remain imprisoned forever… unfortunately, that was not the case."

"But now we know how to stop them!" Saya said. "All we have to do is find these virtues and we can take down the Sins just like you all did in the past!"

Chief laughed. "Poor, ignorant girl. Who said anything about finding them?" Saya tilted her head slightly and raised one eyebrow, completely confused. "They've all been found. All we have to do is bring them together." Chief explained as his body began to give off a golden aura.

~ELSEWHERE~

Jack and Nina sat silently around their fire. Jack was doing maintenance on his mechanical arm while Nina was staring blankly into the fire, hugging her knees to her chest. It was awkward, Jack had to admit. Normally in a situation like this they'd be making out, cuddling, or deep in a conversation at the least. But that night Nina had distanced herself for some reason. "Is something wrong, Nina?" Jack finally asked, setting down his screwdriver. Nina remained silently, but glanced at him with a glare. "C'mon, Nina. I know something's bugging you… you know you can tell me anything."

Nina just glared at him for a few more seconds before sighing and answering him. "You're an idiot." She murmured.

"Wha…" Jack questioned.

"All of my life I've been miserable." She said. "I grew up in an orphanage, I was adopted by drug dealers who treated my like a slave, and then Pride comes to me and offers me a better life. I finally think that my sorrowful days are over, but it turns out that Pride was just a psychopath who needed a business partner. I didn't know what to do with myself… and then you came along. You were the first thing in my life that truly made me happy. I practically signed my own death warrant to leave the Sins and be with you. I'm finally happy… and then you almost kill yourself for a lost cause."

"Nina…"

"As I said, you are an idiot! What could you have possibly accomplished by setting off that bomb?"

"We were going to liberate Asia…"

"Well it didn't work, now did it?" Nina shouted. "Raphael gave up his life, not only to set off that bomb, but to save you. And to what point or purpose? Wuya is still alive and Asia remains miserable."

Jack sighed. "I get it, Nina."

"No, you don't get it, Jack! The Sins may be killing the world, but you're the only thing keeping me alive!..." She paused to take in the remorse on Jacks face. She was starting to feel guilty for yelling at him, but this had to be said. "… Don't you realize that without you I'd probably be suicidal?"

Jack's eyes widened.

"It's true." Nina continued, starting to cry now. "Before I met you I'd thought about killing myself… I hated my life that much. But once Pride came along it was impossible. I…" she stopped as she felt Jack's arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight hug.

"I had no idea." Jack said. He was crying too. "I swear, as long as it's within my power I will never leave you… I swear.

Nina buried her face in Jacks jacket and hugged him back. She wanted to believe him so badly, but something in the pit of her stomach told her that he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. But still… she was going to hold him too it.

~THE WOODS~

"Jess, you ok?"

Jess glanced over her shoulder to find Rai walking up to her. She sighed. Of all the people around her Rai was the only one she wanted to talk to at the moment. "What do you think?" she asked. "My only family is dead. I don't know what to do now… and for once I don't think that God's going to give me the answer." She looked down to the silver cross in her hand. She'd given it to Jet before the battle and she'd hoped that he'd give it back to her… but sadly that wasn't the case. She clutched it tightly as tears began running down her cheeks. "He promised me that he would come back… but I never imagined that it would be as a lifeless husk."

Rai placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look, I miss him as much as you do. We're all mourning over him and Raphael… but I understand that none of us could even come close to feeling what you do right now."

Jess looked over to him, not knowing what to say. "Jet was a great guy." Rai continued. "He died for what he believed in, and the only thing more he could've done was died to save you… which if you think about it he kind of was." He paused as he noticed a small grin force its way onto Jess's face. "He's up in heaven now… and I'm sure that he's joined your parents in watching over you."

Jess's smile widened and she nodded. "You're right." she said. "He's not really gone… just watching over me in a distant place. Thanks Rai."

"No prob…" Rai was cut off. His eyes widened.

Jess was kissing him!

Rai pushed her away immediately. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Jess insisted. "It was just a… an impulse. I swear I didn't mean too." She stopped, waiting for Rai to respond. He just glared at her for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. She could see the gears turning in his head. Eventually he sighed.

"This never happened." He said. "Nobody, especially Kimiko, finds out." With that he turned around and started back towards camp. "If anyone asks I couldn't get through to you, you're still depressed, and I'm pissed off about it."

~MONK'S CAMP~

Saya, Rai, and Jess returned just as Clay was starting to cook some fish that he'd caught. Rai took his seat next to Kimiko and Jess, still looking depressed, sat on the other side of the fire between Elena and Mimi. As far as those two were concerned things were awkwardly quiet… but Saya couldn't shut her mouth. She was busy explaining something that Chase had told her.

"… And Chase say's that they've all been found already. All we have to do is bring them together and we actually have a fighting chance!"

"But we have no idea who they are." Kimiko pointed out. "Even if all seven of them are among us, we have no way of knowing who they are."

"Well…" Saya paused as if not sure whether to continue or not. She eventually shrugged her shoulders and continued. "… I saw for myself that Chief is one of them. The Golden aura says it all. And Chief and Chase both say that at least two more of them are here with us right now."

"And the other four?" Omi asked.

"They're together somewhere in the southern hemisphere. That's all Chief could tell me." Saya explained. "If he were closer he could give us a more precise location, but since we can't leave here right now that's not exactly possible."

"So in other words we know how, we just can't at the moment." Jewel said.

"Pretty much." Elena agreed.

"I might be able to help with that."

The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but it defiantly wasn't one of their fellow rebels that they knew. Everyone except Jess jumped to their feet and turned towards the voice, ready for a fight. But as soon as they saw who it was they dropped their guard and gasped.

He was leaning against a tree with that smug look on his face that they all remembered. He looked quite a bit different, what with the thin layer of facial hair now on and under his chin and above his upper lip. His outfit was also completely different. His pants and shirt were both black and he'd ripped the sleeves off of his shirt. His shirt also had a red Chinese dragon on its chest. He had a red sash tied around his waist and another, smaller one tied around his forehead with two long strands dangling from the back of his head. Still, even with all of these differences from the one they remembered him as, they all recognized him easily.

"Now why'd you go and start the party without me?" Rush asked, chuckling.


	17. Envy Thy Name is Rush

Chapter 16: Envy; Thy Name is Rush

"WOOOOO! Party!"

Everyone laughed as Guan ran around the fire with his robes reconfigured to look more like a toga and two twigs with a few leaves tucked behind his hears. "Who knew Guan was such a party animal?" Rai joked.

"And who knew Italian ladies were so **fine**?" Rush added, wrapping one arm around Jess's shoulders.

"Oh, stop it, Rush." Jess giggled, pulling Rush close and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

About three months had passed since Lust's palace had been destroyed and Rush had returned. A lot had happened since then. First and foremost, the Sins were keeping a low profile now. As far as anyone knew, none of the seven had shown their faces more than once or twice since the battle. Second, Rush and Jess had started dating… why, no one could be sure. For some reason, even though Jet's death was still fresh in her memory, Jess couldn't help but be happy whenever around Rush. It just sort of happened. And finally, out of shear boredom, parties were thrown at least once a week now. Jack had gone back to one of his labs and brought back a few old speakers and a few CDs so they could have music. Other than that it was mostly just talking with some dancing thrown in.

All and all, things were great. The only problems were still having to stay in hiding from the Sins and the few people where were too serious to party (Chase, Chief, Hannibal, Panda Bubba and his two lackeys).

"Say, Rush, you never did tell us why it took you so long to come home." Saya said. Rush just laughed and explained.

"I ended up in India after we tried to fight the Sins… bad idea by the way… so I bummed around there until I heard about what happened at Lust's palace. I hightailed it out of there and, batta-bing batta-boom, here I am."

"Well, lucky you." Omi said, using sarcasm correctly for once. "We've been fighting chimeras and wars for the past nine months!"

"Much better on the sarcasm, Omi." Jermaine complemented.

"You can thank me for that." Mimi laughed.

"Say, has anyone seen Julia or Elena?" Clay asked.

Everyone glanced around quickly. Sure enough, the Spanish and Australian girls were nowhere to be seen. "I think I saw them making out in the woods a few hours ago." Kim pointed out.

There was a sudden, awkward silence.

"Ok… change of subject, please." Om suggested.

"No, no," Rush broke in, "I like this subject."

"Dude, those are your friends!" Rai snapped.

"Doesn't mean I can't think they're hot." Rush laughed.

"Hey!" Jess said, elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs playfully.

"Relax." Rush chuckled. "You're way better, baby."

"That's more like it." Jess giggled, pulling the African boy into a kiss.

The party continued for a few more hours, the conversation going from topic to topic as time went on. It wasn't long before Jewel and Elena quietly slipped out of a grove of nearby trees and joined their circle… no one made any mention of their messed up hair or exhausted appearances. Occasionally one of the girls would drag their boyfriend out closer to the fire and join some of the other rebels dancing. Everyone was happy and having fun. It seemed like the perfect night… except for one minor detail right at the very end.

"Is something wrong, Rush?" Jess asked as she watched her boyfriend stare blankly into the fire. "You seem sad."

"Hm?" Rush mumbled, turning his attention to her. "Oh, it's nothing… just a little tired is all."

She looked at him sternly as Rush turned his attention back to the fire. Jess may have only known him for a few months, but she'd gotten close enough to him to know when something was on his mind. She quickly grabbed his arm and stood up. "C'mon." she said, pulling Rush to his feet. "We're talking."

"Ugh! Do we have too?" Rush pleaded.

"Yes! Now c'mon!" with that Jess dragged Rush into the woods.

"Whipped!" Jermaine called, making everyone else laugh.

Once Jess was sure that she and rush were deep enough in the woods that no one could hear them they sat down on a log. "I'm not taking no for an answer, Rush. What's going on? It's not like you to be quiet and deep in thought like that… usually when you're quiet I usually think you're brain dead or imagining me naked… but I could tell your mind was on something this time, so spill it."

Rush sighed and looked away from her, up to the sky through a small opening in the tree tops. "You ever get the feeling that something really bad is about to happen… and it's gunna be all your fault?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Rush…" Jess said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jess… but we can't be together anymore." Rush blurted. "I hope you understand."

Jess went wide eyed in shock and slid away from him a little. She hadn't been prepared for this at all… but for some reason she had expected it. "I… I think I do understand." She said.

Rush nodded to her, got up, and started walking away, deeper into the woods and farther away from the party. "Tell the others not to come after me." she said.

Jess waited until Rush was out of sight before running her fingers through her hair and starting to cry.

Unknown to either of them, Omi, who had left a few minutes before them to take a leak, had heard the entire conversation. As much as he wanted to go over to Jess and comfort her, something drove him to follow after Rush. The short monk quickly jumped into the nearest tree and started following after his friend through the branches, careful not to be noticed.

~LATER~

Omi followed Rush to the entrance of the paradise, staying low in the grass to not be noticed. Rush glanced over his shoulder quickly to make sure he wasn't being followed before walking through the hole in the wall and going up through the vault. Along the way Rush accidentally bumped into a Shen Gong Wu drawer and it opened. He didn't bother closing it, so Omi took advantage and grabbed the Wu inside: the Shroud of Shadows. He quickly wrapped it around himself and continued to follow Rush.

Once outside, among the cold, charred boards and bricks that used to be the Xiaolin Temple, Rush stood for a few moments in silence. Omi waited at the entrance of the vault to spy on him. He noticed that Mala Mala Jong lay in a scattered heap of Shen Gong Wu while Cyclops was on its back, unconscious and bruised. Rush glanced over his should one last time before raising his hand in front of his face and snapping his fingers. A dark portal instantly opened before him…

…And Wrath and Sloth stepped out.

"What took you so long?" Wrath demanded. "We've been waiting for damn near three months, Envy."

"I had to gain their trust." Rush said coldly. "They're not stupid. I had to prove that I was the real Rush before I could move among them freely."

"Well, you are the real thing…" Sloth chuckled. "…But you're not exactly their friend anymore, are you?"

Rush had no response.

Omi had heard all he needed. He immediately took off down the vault stairs, dashed through the paradise entrance, and raced back to where the others were. But by the time he reached them it was too late. The sky of the paradise had already ripped open, letting thousands of Sloths Robots and Skeletal soldiers invade.

Everyone was already looking up to the tear in the fake sky when Omi returned. Omi was relieved to see that Jess was with them now, but he had other things to attend to. "Omi! There you are!" Mimi said joyfully as she kneeled down next to him and hugged.

"But where's Rush?" Jermaine asked.

"Who cares?" Jess grumbled.

"Rush is with Wrath and Sloth!" Omi blurted. Everyone turned to him immediately, completely shocked and in disbelief. "He's the Sin of Envy!"

Those were the last words spoken before they were surrounded.

An army of Robots and undead, Roman soldiers stood around them with Wrath, Sloth, and Rush standing just inside the circle, looking more sinister than ever thanks to the lighting of the fire. "Looks like we've finally found you." Wrath chuckled. "Lucky you, Lust is my superior and she asked me to bring all of you to her alive so she could pass judgment personally… however…" He quickly pulled out two pistols and took aim at Clay and Hannibal. "… That doesn't mean I can't have some fun, now does it."

There was a brief silence. The only noises were the occasional clank of rusty swords against hovering steal along with Wraths constant snickering. "Why are you doing this, Rush?" Omi finally asked.

Rush looked at him. It wasn't a look of hatred, contempt, or even pleasure at the rebellions impending doom… it was more like he was trying to apologize. "It's the only way." He said.

And that set the stage.

"Attack!" Sloth shouted. The Robots and Skeletal Soldiers charged and the rebels ran at them as well, ready for the fight of their lives. Twenty something against an army… the odds didn't look good.

And they weren't.

Almost immediately Jess, being the pacifist she was, was subdued and carried off. Guan and Jermaine had tried to protect her, but in the commotion they'd lost track of her almost instantly. Jessie and her Black Vipers tried to jump on their bikes so they could fight better, but only Jessie and one other managed. They other three shared Jess's fate. It wasn't long before Panda Bubba's two lackeys were carried off as well.

Guan and Jermaine stood back to back as a small group of Sloths army surrounded them. Three of the skeletal soldiers raised their swords into the air, shrieked and charged at them. Guan took out the first with a punch to the rib cage and stabbed the second through the head with his spear. Jermaine took out the third by steeling its sword and stabbing it through where its heart should've been. Two more soldiers came at them followed by a few robots blasting lasers wildly. The master monk and the New Yorker quickly took out the two soldiers and then tricked two of the robots into crashing into each other, followed by hacking the third robot into three peaces together. One more soldier came at them and they both stabbed it through the chest, but at the same time a second soldier came up behind them and tackled Guan to the ground. More and more of the skeletons dog-piled on top of him until he could barely move. Jermaine would've helped, but before he could he was blasted simultaneously with three electrified nets by a trio of robots.

Mimi jumped off the ground, using the robot before her as a step to get into the tree behind it. The robot whirled around and started blasting at her, but the French girl swung through the branches with ease and eventually jumped back down, landing on the machines back. As second robot nearby started blasting at her and the robot she was riding, not caring about its mechanical brother. The first robot was quickly torn to shreds and Mimi used a large shard of its body as a dagger to slash through the second robot. It was then that she noticed Julia and Elena nearby, struggling to take down four skeletal soldiers. She quickly grabbed a second metal shard from the ground and threw them both, sending them straight through two of the soldiers. Julia and Elena got the message and used them as weapons to tear through anything else that came their way. Mimi went back to grab another shard, but before she could something bragged her shoulder, swung her around, and punched her across the face, hard. Mimi fell to the ground, conscious only long enough to witness Julia and Elena trapped in a robots electrified net.

Panda Bubba roared as two robots came at him, grabbing them from the air and smashing their bodies together, using them as shields as a pair of soldiers came at him with their swords. He knocked the two soldiers away and then threw on of the trashed robots to the side. It was caught by Vlad who used it crush the skull of an oncoming soldier. He then took its sword and used it to slash a robot in half. Unfortunately, Vlad and Panda Bubba were too worried about their fronts to cover their backs. Luckily Tubbimura with his katana swords and Katnappe with her claws came in and tore through a pair of soldiers coming at them. The four former villains stood back to back as they were quickly surrounded. There was a brief pause in the battle before four robots shot up from the crowd and threw their nets at them. All tried to hack through the nets with their weapons, but they were electrocuted. Only Katnappe, since her claws weren't metal, escaped. She watched as Panda Bubba, Vlad, and Tubbimura were dragged away and the rest of the army waited, savoring the moment before they took her out. The girl just hissed before shouting, "Bring it on!"

Hannibal ripped a robot in half with the bare hands of his armor while Chase shattered a skeletal soldier with a single kick and Chief stabbed another with his spear. The three of them, like everyone else, were surrounded but they had one distinct advantage over everyone else… al three of them had battled armies like these plenty back fifteen hundred years ago. Hannibal grabbed a robot from the air and a soldier from his side and threw them at Chase. Chase flipped through the air and kicked them straight up. Chief them took his spear and threw it, piercing the two in mid air. The spear with the robot and soldier still on it dropped to the ground and Chief quickly retrieved it, using it to stab through another soldier coming at him. At the same time Hannibal ripped open a robot and grabbed the net inside, throwing it into the air. Chase then threw two robots and five skeletal soldiers under then net and they were trapped and electrocuted underneath.

"Looks like you three require my own, personal touch."

Hannibal, Chase and Chief looked to where the voice had come from and found Wrath pushing his way through Sloth's army towards them.

"If you want us you'll have to kill us." Chase growled.

Wrath shrugged. "Fair enough." He agreed, pointing a pistol at them. "I only need one of you alive anyway."

Jessie and her one remaining Black Viper raced through the war zone, running over skeletal soldiers with their bikes and knocking robots from the air with their chains. Yes, it was difficult to ride and fight with so many trees in the way, but they pulled it off. They seemed unstoppable… but nothing really is. Out of nowhere came a crash and an explosion. Jessie turned her head to find that her last Black Viper was gone and her bike had crashed into a tree, exploding afterwards. She saw a robot flying away, holding onto the girl's limp, unconscious body. Jessie swung her bike around and tried to chase after, but another robot grabbed her under her arms and lifted her off her bike as well. She struggled to get free, but the robot quickly let a small spike pierce her back and send electricity through her body, knocking her unconscious.

Jack quickly unlatched the hand from his robotic arm and a blade shot out of the metal cylinder. This was a little trick he'd built into his arm just in case something like this ever happened… it could also be a Gatling gun, but due to lack of bullets this was his only choice. He quickly slashed through a pair of soldiers before swinging around and bringing his blade down on a robot. He saw Nina fighting nearby with a shard of broken robot and was pleased to see she was taking care of herself. He turned away for one second to hack a soldier in half and then turned back to find a robot going after Nina from behind. Acting instinctively Jack ran for her, barely managing to tackle her out of the way and take the hit for her. He fell to the ground and was caught in the robots net… the electrocution was intensified due to his prostatic arm. "Jack!" Nina shouted after realizing what had happened, but it was too late… they were already carrying Jack away. "… You just pissed off the wrong girl." She growled before stabbing an oncoming skeleton with her robot shard and then kicking the head off of a robot.

Saya threw lightning bolts at a few robots while Kim tossed fireballs at oncoming soldiers at her back. A few feet away Rai and Omi were hacking and slashing through robot after sin soldier and so on with blades of air and ice. They couldn't see Clay, but they knew he wasn't far off as they could clearly hear "Yeeha" nearby. Omi and Rai worked together to take out one last robot before Clay finally appeared, charging through the crowd like a rhino on steroids. He stopped between the two duos, kneeled and punched the ground. A wall of rock and earth shot up around the five of them, protecting them for now. "Whaddo we do?" Clay asked. "Counting the five of us I don't think there are many of us left."

"What can we do?" Kim asked. They've got us outnumbered one hundred to one and I've seen more than half of us get carried away already."

"We need to keep fighting!" Rai shouted.

"No, we'll be killed or worse if we do that. We need to escape somehow." Saya said.

"Not happening." It was Sloth, standing on the edge of their shield with Rush at his side. "Now come along quietly and we've only cause minimal damage to your faces." Sloth continued.

"Just cooperate." Rush insisted. "None of you are going to die."

"There are fates far worse than death!" Omi shouted before leaping at Rush and tackling him to the ground. They rolled a few feet before stopping, Omi on top and hitting Rush repeatedly in the face. "Why did you do it?" he demanded. "Why did you join them?"

"I told you…" Rush choked. "It was the only way."

"The only way to do what?" Omi demanded.

Rush just glared at him before throwing the short monk off of himself and standing. He glanced over to where Sloth was still standing. Four robots were flying away now with Rai, Kim, Clay, and Saya trapped in their nets. He looked back to Omi. "Go… before I change my mind and tell the robot that I know where you are."

Omi hesitated for only a second, taking one last look at his former friend, before running away, disappearing into the woods. He stopped eventually, looking back at the battle field. He looked for only a second before a hand clapped over his mouth. "Quiet… come with us."

Omi nodded and the hand removed itself. He turned back around to find Chase standing before him. Behind Chase were Hannibal, Chief, Nina, and Katnappe. "We are the last." Chase explained.

"And I assume you have a plan for what to do next." Omi grumbled.

"No." Chase said, pointing his thumb at Hannibal. "He does."

Hannibal nodded back to him. "We're going to take the fight to them."


	18. Dragon Dance

Chapter 17: Dragon Dance

Dashi waited silently, sitting against the wall of his prison cell. Fung sat in the same position on the opposite side of the cell. Charity and Raven where both lying on the ground, asleep, towards the back of the room. The two girls may have been ignorant enough to sleep, but the two monks knew what was coming. "It is all going to end soon." Fung said.

"Yes." Dashi agreed. "The final battle is close."

"Four of the virtues have gathered…" Fung said. "Raven, Kindness; Charity, Temperance; you, Chastity; and myself, Forgiveness."

"And Diligence and Charity will soon join us." Dashi pointed out.

"Jack and Jess… along with most of the other rebels." Fung sighed..

Before Dashi could say anything else the doors to the dungeon slammed open and a troop of Wuya's Golem Guard's marched in followed by a crowd of two dozen or so and then more golems. One of the golems threw open the cell door, startling and waking Raven and Charity, and pushed two people in: Jack and Jess. Jess stumbled forward and fell, Dashi moving barely fast enough to catch her. Jack managed to keep his footing, but swung around and tried hitting one of the guards with his mechanical arm. The door was slammed shut before he could. "Let me out of here you half assed excuse for a rock monster." Jack shouted through the bars. The golems just ignored him as they herded the others into the cell across the hall.

Dashi just chuckled. "Six down… one to go."

Jack turned and glared at the monk. "You wanna explain what's going on, old man? Specifically why the six of us are separated fr4om everyone else."

Dashi saw no reason why not to, so he explained. Meanwhile, Fung stood up and walked over to the bars. "My students, can you hear me?"

"Master Fung?" It was Julia, the only one of his students close enough to recognize his voice. "You're alive!"

"No time for that now, Julia." Fung said. "Please, gather the others and bring them over here. Forget about anyone else, just bring my other students." Julia did as ordered and soon the seven captured students were gathered by the cell bars. "So, Omi escaped… good. This may work after all."

"What are you talking about, Master Fung?" Kimiko asked.

"The final battle is coming very soon. We must be ready."

~ANTARCTICA~

Antarctica… nothing but ice, snow, and penguins for thousands of miles. Or, at least that's what most people assume…

Hannibal had used the Golden Tiger Claws to teleport the six remaining rebels to Antarctica. The closest he could get them to their destination, however, was one days trek through the frozen waist land. For almost twenty four hours now Omi, Chase, Hannibal, Nina, Katnappe, and Chief shuffled their way through knee high show and climbed up colossal dunes of ice… and now they'd found what they were looking for… the Sin's base of operations.

Immediately they noticed the single white spire before they'd even passed over the last hill of ice. A tower made of the whitest marble seeming to jut up from the ground. As they reached the top of the hill they saw the rest. The tower rose up from a large assortment of towers, only differing in height. The towers went in order of height, descending down in a spiral with the largest in the center. At the bottom of the towers was a wide, circular base with marble gargoyle statues sitting at the edge all the way around. There was a large pair of iron double doors, the two statues on either side of it being griffons instead of gargoyles. Surrounding the fortress itself was a high wall, again made of marble, with sharp spikes rising from the top.

"Do they really think a spiked fence can stop us?" Katnappe boasted. She started to walk again, but Chief put his spear in her way.

"Do not be so brash." He said before chipping a chunk of ice off of the hill with his spear and tossing it. The next thing they knew a few of the spikes on the wall lit up and huge beams of magic blasted at the ice chunk, incineration it. "The Sins are not so ignorant as to leave their home unguarded… and that's just the proverbial tip of the ice berg."

"If you weren't being serious I'd probably find that ironic." Omi said.

"So how do we get in?" Nina asked.

At this point Chase and Hannibal chuckled as if amused by their discussion. "You kids and your details." Hannibal laughed. "How do you think the Sins get in?"

"My guess would be magic teleportation." Om said, rolling his eyes.

"No, you young fool." Chase said. "… They go through the front door."

~ONE HOUR LATER~

The great iron doors creaked shut behind them as the six make their way into the darkness of the Sin's base. As beautiful and awe inspiring it was on the outside, it was simply horrifying on the inside. Plain black walls, ceilings, and floors and not light other than the occasional neon green torch on the wall.

The means of their entry wasn't as simple as Chase made it sound. Chief had to lead the way because, being the Virtue of Humility, he was the only one who could successfully deflect the Sins magic. Once they'd gotten through the outer wall they found out that the gargoyle statues weren't just for decoration. Not only did the gargoyles and the two griffons spring to life and attack them, but from beneath the snow an army of Sloth's skeletal soldiers burst up. It was easy enough fighting their way through that… but the possessed Cyclopes, now black with a red eye, and Mala Mala Jong, his blue flame aura now black as well, were another story. But, through whatever means, they managed to get passed the Sin's guards and successfully entered the Sin's lair… with a consolation prize of a treasure trove of Shen Gong Wu after shattering Mala Mala Jong.

Nina shuttered as they made their way deeper into the lair, looks of horror crossing her face occasionally. "Something wrong?" Katnappe asked.

"Just bad memories." Nina said. "What I wouldn't give to tear this place down brick by brick."

"You may not need to." Chase said. "If we are successful here then this place will most assuredly crumble after Pride's death."

"I thought this was a rescue mission!" Nina and Katnappe both snapped together. They glared at each other after wards, but quickly smiled mischievously and nodded. They both knew that they specifically meant saving Jack and they also knew that they both had feelings for Jack. During the days trek before Katnappe had somehow let it slip out. Needless to say that there was an argument afterwards which, to all four of the guy's annoyance, lasted a few hours. In the end, however, they both came to an understanding and put their anger aside. Long story short, they'd agreed that Katnappe wasn't to make a move on Jack... so long as he and Nina remained together.

"Something's wrong." Nina said later on. "I know that Pride knows we're here… and experience tells me that he should've tried to kill us again… something's wrong."

"Or perhaps he has something worse planned for us than death." Omi said.

"He needs me alive." Chief finally said. "He wants all seven Virtues alive and imprisoned so that there's no chance of his plans failing. Leave any one of us unchecked and had has to live in fear… kill any of us and he has to start the search for us all over again."

"I see." Om said, thinking this over. "So how exactly does the whole Sin / Virtue thing work again?"

"Each Sin has his or her own Virtue counterpart… someone who had equal and power to them and the ability to at least entrap them… If the seven of us gather and our powers are not suppressed then we have a chance to take down the Sins once and for all… unfortunately, fifteen hundred years ago the Virtue of Chastity was unwilling to take the life of Lust, and thus the Sins lived to this day."

"And the Virtue of Chastity back then was…" Omi started.

"The same man it is today." Chief explained. "The Sin of Lust has not changed, there for Dashi must remain the Virtue of Chastity as well."

"I see…"

Not much was said after that. the simply continued deeper into the bowls of the dark castle until they reached what Nina assured them would be a one way ticket directly to the Sins. It was another set of double doors, only smaller and made of wood this time. With a single shove Hannibal able to push them open. Only Nina had any idea of what to expect on the other side and she gasped. It was in no way how she remembered it.

What had once simply been a large open chamber was now half occupied with a colossal machine, no doubt the handy work of Jacks brother and robots. It had no lights and made only a small noise, almost like a large creature snoring. It was just a large metal box with large, black cables jetting out from it in all directions except on the frontal side. On that side there were four latches that looked like they were designed for a gigantic human, only the legs would've been latched together and the fourth went around the neck.

"He actually built it." Nina breathed.

"What?" Katnappe asked.

"The VDU… Virtue Detector Unit. It was a machine designed by my teams Wrath and Gluttony. It was never put into production before I left… but I guess my replacement put Jacks robots to work… but it shouldn't be optional. The power source isn't in place."

"Power source?" Omi questioned.

Nina pointed to the machine, indication the latches on the front. "The dragon was supposed to be there… Dojo, right? He was supposed to be latched onto it and used to power the machine. But he's not there."

"Don't be so sure." Hannibal said. "Is it not true, Omi, that you haven't seen your dear Dojo since you tried defeating the Sins the first time?"

Omi didn't answer. He pushed his way past the others and looked at the machine. "I knew I recognized that snoring. Dojo!"

It was the biggest mistake he would make all day.

Before Omi was even done speaking there was a thundering roar from behind the machine. The sound of rattling chains and bursts of flames sounded behind it and soon after that shattering steel and shuffling of cables against each other. The creature emerged from its nest behind the machine, one black claw reaching up through the cables above the machine and then another. Its head snaked out next, long, crocodilian, with blazing red eyes, a main of golden yellow hair running from behind its eyes down its back and a long goatee of the same color, red from the jaw to the under belly and black everywhere else. It snaked its way out from behind the machine until its entire body was revealed, serpent like and with one of the cables attached to the back of its head, connecting it to the machine.

It roared at them, jets of fire bursting from its nostrils. No one flinched, but Omi looked at it completely horrified. "Dojo…"

Dojo roared and lifted into the air, beginning to circle the ceiling of the chamber and snaking through the cables, blasting fire from his mouth occasionally.

"Now what?" Katnappe asked.

"We sit back and enjoy the show." Chase said nonchalantly. "This is young Omi's battle… look."

They all looked at Omi. He had his back turned to them as he watched Dojo circle over head. "Dojo… what have they done to you?" he asked as his body was surrounded by a dark aura and a black spot appeared on the back of his head. The spot again began to branch out like tentacles, quickly covering his head in tattoo like markings and beginning to spread over his body. The others could feel could feel the energy surging from his body as he rose into the air. Most of them didn't know what to make of this… but Chase could sense the darkness being unleashed within him. "You'll make an excellent protégé yet." He grinned evilly.

"They will pay…" Omi said as his eyes faded into darkness and the dark aura around him grew. "**They will pay for what they did to him!**" With that Omi flew straight up, heading for Dojo. Dojo sensed him immediately and dove at him as well, sending a jet of fire his way. Omi went straight through the fire and stopped, midair, in front of Dojo, kicking him in the face and knocking him into the wall with a thundering crash. Dojo recovered quickly and went at him again, hurling multiple fireballs from his mouth. Omi avoided each of them easily but barely had enough time to avoid Dojo's snapping jaws as they tried to close on him. Omi flew upward to escape but Dojo managed to capture him in one of his claws. The dark dragon brought the monk close to his face, glaring at him to savor the moment before Omi was burned alive and devoured. But just as the dragon was about to blast him with flames Omi broke free from his grip, summoned his elemental ice powers into his fist and hit Dojo directly between the eyes.

Dojo roared and fell backward into the machine. His head was half frozen and much of his mane had frozen and broke off in the collision. But still, he was ready to kill. With one twitch of his head Dojo broke the thin layer of ice from his head and went at Omi again. Omi flew away, leading the dragon into the mass of cables above the machine Dojo chased him through, blasting fire at him often and melting many of the black cables. Despite thinking that this would tangle the dragon in the cords, Dojo managed to follow him through without getting stuck.

Omi dove straight down to the ground, stopping at the last second for one last ditch effort to defeat the possessed dragon. He landed gracefully on his feet and then looked back up to find Dojo hurtling straight down at him, light building up in the back of his throat for another blast of fire. Summoning all of his strength Omi channeled all of his elemental energy into his hands and blasted Dojo with an ice beam. The dragon roared and returned the blast with his fire. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as they two attacks met and seemed to stop each other, but Omi's overpowered Dojo quickly. The dragon was hit with the blast and frozen solid. He fell to the ground, crashing into the machine, shattering both it and the ice he was encased in.

Like a miracle Dojo returned to his normal color and shrank to his regular size. The cable attached to the back of his head detaching and falling limp. Omi finally relaxed and the dark aura and marks disappeared. Dojo lay unconscious on the ground and Omi raced over to him despite being exhausted. He kneeled down and lifted up the little dragon, almost cradling him in his arms. "Dojo… are you all right?"

Dojo groaned and groggily opened his eyes, smiling weakly as he saw Omi. "If by all right you mean in severe pain and feeling like I'm about to die even though I'll probably be fine… then yeah, I'm all right." He groaned.

Omi smiled and hugged the dragon tightly as tears began running down his cheeks. He didn't say anything… being with his lost friend again was enough.

"Aw… what a touching moment… it sickens me!"

The Sins appeared out of nowhere in front of their destroyed machine. Standing side by side; Sloth, Wrath, Lust, Pride, Envy, Greed and Gluttony in that order. "If it weren't for possessing all seven Virtues already I would be severely enraged." Pride said. "But no harm done. You have delivered Humility to me there for I have no further use for this machine… or for you. Greed! Gluttony! Take them all to the dungeons… put the old, dark skinned one with the other Virtues… take the dragon too."

Greed and Gluttony had taken no more than two steps when one of the side walls suddenly shattered and a small portion of it fell apart, revealing Dashi, Fung, Jack and all of the others behind them.

"Don't bother." Dashi said. "We'll be joining them."

The mass of kidnapped rebels moved quickly to join Omi and the other five. Surprisingly, Cyclops even pushed through the double doors, now normal again, and joined in the crowd. For last minute effect, Jack used the Emperor Scorpion to summon all of the Shen Gong Wu and form Mala Mala Jong again.

This was it. The beginning of the final showdown between the Seven Deadly Sins and the rebel forces. Thirty-two versus seven… it all came down to this.

"Time to raise some hell." Pride growled.


	19. End of the Sins Part 1

Chapter 18: End of the Sins Part 1

Pride's eyes began glowing blood red behind his blind fold and without him so much as flinching the castle they stood in vaporized and disappeared. The building vanished into the air, leaving all of them in the frozen wasteland surrounded by snow and an army of the Sin's minions. He next raised one hand into the air and it started surging with green electricity. His hand flashed the same color and a small force field suddenly enclosed around him, soon expanding greatly. It passed by the Sins, not fazing them in the slightest, and then passed by the seven Virtues, the five elemental dragons, Dojo, and Nina as well. Everyone else and all of the Sin's minions were flung backwards, trapped outside.

"The fourteen of you will be permitted to battle us in two on one brawls… and the battles will be to the death." Pride explained. "The rest of your companions will remain here and do battle with our minions in an endless fight until all of us on either side are dead." With that all seven Sins became transparent and sank into the ground, disappearing and leaving a dark portal behind. "Follow us if you dare." Pride's voice sounded.

"This is it." Chief muttered. "Today the Sins die!" Without hesitation Chief charged at the portal. Dojo, now fully conscious, grew to his flying size and followed him. Nina wrapped her arms around Jack who activated his helicopter back pack and went after them. Soon only Omi, Jess, and Charity were left. Jess seemed hesitant to follow, but then noticed Charity silently praying to her god before slowly walking into the portal. Jess followed her example, prayed, and walked into the darkness as well.

Omi waited for them to go before looking over his shoulder. He saw the others fighting for their lives… Panda Bubba charging through walls of skeletal soldiers and robots like a raging bull while his two goons fought them off with martial arts; Jessie and her Vipers doing their best to fight without their bikes; Katnappe, Vlad and Tubbimura standing back to back, fighting as wave after wave of robots came at them; Mala Mala Jong and Cyclops were crazy, not caring who or what they hit; Julia and Elena doing their best to protect each other; Guan and Jermaine fighting off the Sins underlings side by side…

And then he saw Mimi, successfully hurling her fist through a skeletons skull and then stealing its sword. Omi wanted so much to go back and fight by her side, but he knew that not only would the force field prevent him from doing so, but he had an obligation to go fight the Sins with the others. He sighed, "Please be ok," before rushing at the portal and disappearing into the darkness…

He failed to notice Chase and Hannibal come through after him before the portal vanished.

~ENVY'S CHAMBER~

The fourteen stepped through the portal into the first of the seven chambers… It was the same as last time the five monks had been there: just a large cave with boulders and rocks dotting the floor with torches lining the room and a large pair of double doors on the other side. This was Envy's chamber.

"Come out, Rush!" Chief called. "We know you're here somewhere. Face the ones you once loved and die like a true warrior!"

Nothing. Chief's voice echoed off the walls, but that was all. Rush didn't appear.

"He must be somewhere else." Rai said. "Sloth pulled the same trick last time we were here."

"Just to be safe…" Chief turned to Raven who shook her head. Rush wasn't in the room, but he was close. "Damn… let's move."

~SLOTH'S CHAMBER~

The entered Sloths chamber and found it completely different from last time… defiantly more fit for combat. The furniture, the TV, even the bar had completely disappeared. It was now a simple room with only torches on the walls and the double doors across from each other… and Jacks brother standing before them. "Hey, little brother." Gabriel said with an evil grin.

"Gabriel." Jack growled.

"And I see you brought your girlfriend with you too! How's my predecessor doing?"

"This guys really your brother?" Clay asked.

"Unfortunately." Jack growled. "You all go ahead…" A golden aura flashed around Jack's body as his anger flared up. "I'll take care of this one…"

"I believe the agreement was two on one." Gabriel pointed out.

"Who said he was going to be alone?" Nina stepped forward from the crowd and took Jack's hand. "You're as much my problem as his… and I'm not about to let Jack take you down by himself when you being the Sin of Sloth is my fault."

"Nina…" Jack said.

"Well, it's true." She said. "If I wouldn't have left the Sins he wouldn't have been able to become Sloth."

Jack slowly nodded, understanding what was going through her head. But still, he couldn't help but be concerned. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Nina chuckled and clenched her free hand tightly. "Oh yeah." She growled.

Gabriel laughed. "Well then, come on down! You're the next contestants on The Price is Right!" Everyone gave him a confused look. "Sorry, but I've always wanted to say that… the rest of you are free to move on."

The remaining twelve walked passed Gabriel into the next chamber. Dashi, however, stayed back for a moment and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "He annoys me… beat him to a pulp." He said before following the others.

"No problem." Jack agreed.

Dashi passed through the double doors and they closed behind him, trapping Jack and Nina with the Sin of Sloth. When the creaking of the door finally stopped, all was silent for a moment. Gabriel smiled mischievously, taking in the tension in the room as Jack and Nina glared at him. "And here… we… go."

"Would you stop quoting stuff and fight already?" Jack snapped.

Gabriel shrugged. He was about to respond when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. He grinned and pushed his sun glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Looks like I'm going to have to cancel that order, Li'l Jackie… we've got company."

~GREED'S CHAMBER~

Rai, Kim, Clay, Saya, and Omi remembered the next room very clearly. It was exactly the same as the last time they'd been there. The huge Persian rug, the walls lined with pillows, and the statue of Greed in the center with the fountain of wine. Once again, Greed sat cross legged in front of it. "Welcome." She said.

Jess stepped forward. "Greed… you killed my brother."

"He was dead the second he stepped onto the battle field." Greed retorted.

Jess clinched her fist and gave Greed an evil stare as tears welled in the corners of her eyes. A faint golden aura surrounded her body. "I hope you enjoy burning in a lake of fire." She growled. "Because when I'm through with you, you're going straight to hell."

Greed laughed, stood up, and started walking towards them, her two swords magically appearing in her hands. "I'd like to see you try." She said, pointing one sword at her. The next second there was a flash of lightning coming from the group which struck the sword, knocking it out of Greed's hand and sending it flying through the air, vanishing just before it his the ground and reappearing in Greed's hand.

"She won't have too." Saya said as she took her spot next to Jess. "I'll make sure it happens."

Greed nodded and the double doors behind her statue opened with a loud creak. "You two have opted to die at my hand… the rest of you may go pick your own poison… I'm sure my brother will enjoy smashing which ever of you stay to fight him."

The remaining ten passed through the double doors, Clay giving Saya one last kiss before he went through. The doors closed and then it began.

Greed took one last sip of wine from her fountain before throwing the cup to the floor, shattering it, and then threw her sword at the two girls, spinning it like a saw blade. Saya pushed Jess out of the way and was barely able to move herself in time. The blade still cut through a few strands of her hair. Thinking quickly, the dragon of lightning shot a bolt of lightning at the sword and kept the energy coursing between her and the object long enough to hurl it back at the Sin. Greed caught its hilt with no problem, but was still zapped from the electricity it held. Greed fell to her hands and knees.

"That was… unwise." She growled. She vanished and reappeared behind Say with one sword raised, ready to slice her in half. She almost brought the blade down on her, but she soon found herself on the ground again. Some energy had hit her side and knocked her over. She found Jess glaring at her, cracking her knuckles with the golden aura now glowing around her brightly.

"I'm the one you should be worried about." She said.

Greed roared in rage and swiped one sword through the air, causing a thick cloud of dust to rise up from the Persian rug. She disappeared into the dust and the two blond girls moved closer together, back to back. Greed reappeared in front of Jess with one sword pressed lightly against her throat and the tip of the other against her stomach. Without a twinge of fear or a second thought a surge of the Virtue energy went through her and she punched Greed in the jaw. The punch h may not have done much damage, but the energy sure as hell left a burn on her cheek as well as caused the veil on her face to fall off.

Greed touched the burn on her cheek lightly and then growled. "You'll pay for that." Before she could even get up, though, she was hit with another bolt of lightning and she fell onto her back. The two girls stood over the Sin of Greed, knowing that it was over now… she was done for. "What are you going to do now? Go against all of your gods morals and teachings… are you going to kill me?"

"Normally I would agree with you." Jess said. "But certain evils of the world need to be purged… I'm not doing this out of revenge for my brother… I'm doing this because my god wills it." With that Jess's hand began to glow brightly and she touched the tip of her index finger against Greed's head. The Sin's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell limp.

~GLUTTONY'S CHAMBER~

"I thought that Lust's room was next." Kim said blankly as they entered Gluttony's chamber. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Damn… I was really looking forward to kicking her ass."

"You'll get to." Dashi reassured her.

As they continued further into Gluttony's chamber, the goliath burst through the double doors on the other side and stomped towards them. Immediately Charity's body began to glow with a golden aura. "Is this the virtue?" she questioned.

Gluttony lifted his club from his shoulder and pointed it at his sister Charity stepped back, obviously terrified of her brother. Gluttony started toward them and Clay quickly stepped in front of the Muslim girl. "Ya ready fer a rematch, ya over grown sack of potatoes?"

Gluttony growled at him and smacked his club on the ground, cracking the floor. Rai, Kim, Omi, Dojo, Dashi, Chief, Fung and Raven ran passed him into the next room. The doors slammed closed this time and Gluttony growled at the remaining two. "We'll see who's a sack of potatoes when I'm through with you two." The giant then raised his club high and slammed it on the ground again, sending a fissure in the floor straight at Clay and Charity. Clay threw Charity out of the way and used his elemental power to redirect the crack at Gluttony. The giant grinned and waited until the last second to punch the ground exactly where the crack was at that moment. Clay took this opportunity to go on the offensive, charging at Gluttony tackling his legs, knocking him to the ground. Unfortunately, Gluttony turned this against him, rolling backward and sending Clay flying, slamming into the wall.

Clay staggered back to his feet. "… ow." He grumbled. Then he noticed the ground shacking as Gluttony charged at him with his club raised again. Thinking quickly, Clay jumped into the air, used his elemental powers to ripe the bronze club in half with his bare hands, and then jumped off of it to punch Gluttony right in his stone mask. The stone shattered and cracked in half, the two pieces falling to the ground. Gluttony went into a blind, yet controlled, rage, the expression on his face absolutely infuriated but he remained stationary. He roared at Clay, who was now on the floor before the giant.

"Sorry, big guy, but I've got a world to save." Clay shouted before tackling Gluttony to the ground again. "Charity, now! Take him while you can! I can't hold him down forever!"

The Muslim girl nodded and ran over to them, kneeling down next to her brother's colossal head. She sighed and placed her hands on his temples. "Forgive me, brother… and may Allah have mercy on you…" As she spoke, she gently applied more pressure to her brothers head and send the Virtue chi into her hands… Gluttony roared one last time, the ear splitting sound slowly dying away as his life faded.

~WRATH'S CHAMBER~

Cannons lining the walls and Guns placed all over them, a dozen light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and the smell of gun powder in the air. "Wrath." Omi growled.

"Indeed." Fung agreed.

"So where is the crazy bastard?" Rai asked.

The double doors on the other side of the room were suddenly flung open and Wrath stepped in… the same crazy, skinny Chinese man with shaggy black hair… only this time he was wearing a pink dress and holding a microphone. "Isn't she lovely!" he sang. "Isn't she wonderful!" Then he realized they were there, watching him. He abruptly dropped the microphone and the dress turned back into his usual black jean, green T-shirt and black vest. "Crap, you guys are already here?"

"You know, I think crazy is and understatement." Chief stated.

Wrath sighed. "Well… this is embarrassing… let's just get this over with. Short-and-bald and old-and-bald stay, the rest of you go on ahead."

"What makes you think that they're staying?" Kim demanded.

"Because old-and-bald is the Virtue of Forgiveness, my opposite, and short-and-bald has a bone to pick with me after the last time you were here. Isn't that obvious?"

"Good point." Kim agreed.

With that Wrath allowed Rai, Kim, Dojo, Dashi, Chief, and Raven to pass. The double doors closed behind them, trapping Omi and Fung inside the room with the psychopath. Wrath began to count. "And three… two… one…" Just as he finished counting the doors that Omi and the others had entered through opened. "Welcome to my humble abode… bitch." He said to the new comers.

~LUST'S CHAMBER~

Kimiko recognized the next room immediately. Completely bare and lit only by a large hole in the ceiling, light pouring in from seemingly nowhere. Wuya stood in front of the double doors opposite of them. She laughed as the six remaining and started walking towards them. "So, here you are, ready to die to save this pitiful world… I admire that, and yet I find it ridiculous at the same time."

"Save it." Kim growled. "We're here to make sure you don't walk out of here alive."

Wuya laughed and snapped her fingers, causing the final set of double doors to open. "Well, I can see that little-miss-anger-issues is ready… but what about you _dearest_?"

Dashi stepped forward. "Wuya, you have caused so much pain." He said. "To the world, to these children… to me… I remember a time when you were the embodiment of goodwill and peace… what happened to that you… what happened to the woman I fell in love with?"

Wuya glared at him, unsuccessfully trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "She opened her eyes to see how the world really is… a dark and unforgiving place where the strong and powerful survive."

Dashi sighed, nodded, and motioned for Rai, Dojo, Chief and Raven to continue. They made it passed Wuya without trouble from the witch and the doors quickly closed behind them. "Well, let's get this over with." Dashi said.

"Wait five seconds, will you?" Wuya chuckled. "You were the same way in bed way back when."

As Wuya finished speaking (approximately five seconds later) the doors behind Kim and Dashi swung open and twelve darkened figures walked in. "It's about time you got here." Wuya said.

"My apologies." Chase said. "Hannibal and I had to convince some of these imbeciles not to harm Sloth and Wrath."

"I still say we can't trust them." Omi grumbled. "Including you." He glared at Wuya.

"Especially Gabriel." Jack growled.

"Save it." Hannibal snapped. "They want Pride dead as much as we do, even if for different reasons."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Fung said.

"Even if the enemy of my enemy is the same enemy?" Omi questioned.

Wuya rolled her eyes. "Ok, here's the plan…"

~PRIDE'S CHAMBER~

The Shoku Warrior, the dragon, the elderly African man, and the mute girl stepped into Pride's pitch black chamber. The same as last time, the doors closed behind them, leaving them in complete darkness at first, but a spot light soon flashed above them, allowing enough sight to see at least each other.

A second spot light went off across the room, revealing Pride sitting in his throne with Rush standing obediently next to him, both emotionless. "Time to see if mortals truly can walk among the gods." Pride smirked.

"Yes, my lord." Rush agreed.


	20. End of the Sins Part 2

Chapter 19: End of the Sins Part 2

"Rush!" Rai shouted, enraged. He started to run up to the two Sins across the room, wanting to start the battle immediately. But Chief blocked his path with his spear.

"Not yet." The elderly man warned. Rai tensed up with every intention of hitting the old man, but he backed off, knowing that he knew best. "You know why we're here, Pride?"

"Greed and Gluttony are already dead." Pride stated. "Of course I know why you're here. With a small army battling just outside, two of my minions dead, and all seven Virtues gathered… you're here to finish what was started fifteen hundred years ago." Pride suddenly started to laugh. "Ironic, isn't it? The man who started all of this is one of the only ones who can stop me."

"What are you talking about?" Dojo demanded, moving in front of Raven with small flames flaring from his nostrils.

"Why don't you ask Chief?" Pride suggested. "He knows the entire story."

Rai, Raven, and Dojo turned to Chief who hung his head and clinched his free fist. "Ironic indeed." he muttered.

"Chief…" Rai said.

"It's true… were it not for his brash actions you would not exist at all, but… but you were the lesser of two evils! It was either face an enemy we had even a small chance of defeating or throw away our lives trying to defeat a true immortal!"

"What the hell does that mean?" Rai demanded.

The four rebels swung around as the double doors behind them suddenly swung open, flooding the room with light. In walked the ten they'd left behind to battle the other Sins; Kimiko, Omi, Clay, Saya, Jack, Dashi, Master Fung, Nina, Jess, and Charity. "It's true." Dashi said. "I'm responsible for Pride's existence."

The rebels went silent, as did Rush… but Pride began laughing again. "He finally admits it!" he gasped between laughing. When he calmed down, he continued. "Allow me to explain. In the days before my birth, my father came to this world from another realm, sort of like the tails side of a coin to this world's heads. You see, my father was an all powerful being who could've destroyed this pitiful planet without even a gesture. But he liked to toy with his prey… kill it slowly. The world was plunged into complete chaos under his thumb, for back then you had no means of defense, magical or otherwise, capable of taking on my father. One day, the monk you call Dashi approached my father, not with a declaration of war, but begging for mercy on this planet. My father may have been evil, but he was no fool. He saw that Dashi was willing to do anything to save this world… so they made a deal. In exchange for my father leaving this realm and never returning, he would give Dashi unbelievable magical abilities which he would use to bring my sister and I into this realm."

"That makes no sense." Kimiko shouted. "Why would he leave only to have you and your sister come here in exchange?"

"Because, like with most parents, our happiness meant everything to him… if we could take this world instead of him, it would be even better than doing it himself." Pride explained. "And Daddy's wish is about to come true… with or without my sister."

"What happened to her?" Fung questioned.

Pride chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Let's just say…" he paused and bit his lower lip as a strange purple haze appeared and covered the floor. "Never mind." he finished. "Our purpose here is not to discuss the past but to determine the future… those of you who wish to face Envy and I, please step forward."

Chief and Raven stepped forward immediately, Chief gripping his spear tightly in both hands and the golden aura appearing on both of them. Rai stepped forward next, a faint black spot starting to appear on his chest. Then Dojo slithered up next to him, still super sized and snorting fire. "Let's do this." Rai said as the black spot fully manifested on his chest and the hilt of his black sword show out of his chest. He grabbed it and ripped the blade out, roaring in anger as his shirt ripped apart, the black angel wings appeared and unfolded from behind his back, the whites of his arms faded black and his irises turned red.

"And so it begins." Pride laughed as the energy blade shot out of his wrist and he stood. Rush nodded and stretched his arms out, the two swords that Greed formerly used appearing in his hands. The next second he'd thrown one of them straight at Raven who, by some miracle, simply swung her hand in front of her and caught it by the handle.

"Only fair that we all have a weapon." Rush said.

"What about me?" Dojo demanded.

"You can **breath fire**." Rush snapped.

"Oh yeah… speaking of which," Dojo let a jet of flames from his mouth and swung his head, not reaching Pride and Rush but blocking their view of their opponents. Rai burst through the flames, wings outstretched and flew straight at Pride. Pride simply grinned and vanished from before his throne, reappearing in the air, the top of his head almost touching the ceiling. Rai threw his feet in front of himself, kicking off of Prides throne and going at him again while Chief threw his spear with all his strength at Pride. Pride dodged Rai, grabbed Chief's spear and threw it back at him. Chief aura erupted in a flash of golden light, teleporting him into the air so he could jump off his falling spear and attack Pride in the air.

Meanwhile, Rush and Raven where going at it in a sword duel. Rush blocked an oncoming slash from Raven as Dojo lunged into the fight with his claws outstretched. Rush knocked the dragon away with his free hand and then pushed ravens sword away with his, swinging around so his fist could nail her in the chest. Raven fell back but pushed off the ground with her hands and flipped back onto her feet only to go charging at Rush again. Rush readied himself as attacked as she approached, but she managed to duck under the attack and barely catch his arm with the edge of her blade. It was only a scratch, but Rush still stumbled back and yelped, clutching his arm. Dojo took this opportunity to throw a jet of fire his way, but Rush simply slashed through the flames and lunged at Dojo, ready to stab him between the eyes.

Pride roared and threw and energy blast at the elderly African man. Chief, now knowing he could fly like Pride, whacked the blast away with his spear, sending it back at Pride. Pride did the same with his energy blade, sending it at Rai this time who sent it back to him with a swipe of his sword. This went on at a rapid pace for about ten seconds before Rai knocked it back to Pride and then flew after it. While Pride was busy throwing the blast back to Chief, Rai tackled the Sin, causing them both to crash into the wall, sending ruble down to the floor. Pride threw Rai away and then dove at him, his energy blade ready to stab the Brazilian boy through the chest. Before he could, however, Chief's spear came hurling past him, barely missing his face and Pride stopped in mid air.

"Damn." Chief muttered.

Raven slammed the blade of her sword against Rush's, successfully knocking it out of his hands and clear across the room. She could've stabbed him and ended it right there, but something in her prevented her, so she tossed her sword aside and they went into hand to hand combat. She went to slug Rush in the face, but he blocked her and threw her aside. Dojo then lunged at him, coiling his serpentine body around the African boy and tightening. Rush seemed trapped and he almost panicked as the rest of Dojo came back at him with fangs bared and claws extended… and the light of a fire glowing in the back of his throat. But just as Dojo was about to strike Rush grinned evilly and teleported onto the back of the dragons neck. He clutched his hands together and slammed then into the back of Dojo's skull, knocking him straight into the ground. When the dragon crashed, Raven jumped into the air and lunged at him. Rush jumped to his feet, still on Dojo's back, and snatched Raven from the air, swinging around and throwing her.

Raven crashed into the wall, leaving a crater. If she could've spoken she would've admitted defeat right there… but there was something other than being mute that prevented her from doing so. When Rush grabbed her, she saw something in him that didn't seem to fit… regret, apology, remorse? Something didn't seem right. She not only knew he was holding back on his fighting skills, but he seemed to be biding his time… but for what?

Before she could figure it out, something crashed into the floor nearby. A cloud of dust masked it, but she guessed it was Pride since she saw the shape of Rai's wings sticking out of the dust. Rai jumped away from his opponent landed next to Raven, helping her to her feet while Chief went to assist Dojo. Pride staggered to his feet from the crater left in the ground, his eyes glowing blood red under his blindfold as Rush teleported to his side.

"I'm getting tired of this." Pride muttered. "I believe it's time to finish it… Envy."

"As you wish, master." Rush said blankly. He lifted his arms, pointing his open palms at them. His hands glowed red and chains shot out of them, magically wrapping around the four and binding them. They were sitting ducks now, unable to move. Pride grinned, obviously pleased. He turned around and waved his hand at the others. Identical chains appeared above them and bound them as well.

"Oh, this is too easy." Pride chuckled.

"Guess again!"

The next second, there was a sound like a nearby gun shot, and then another. Pride quickly raised his hands as two golden blurs shot at him. The bounced off and went straight back from where they came from. Only seconds later, the dead and bloody bodies of Wrath and Gabriel Spicer fell from the ceiling with bullet holes between their eyes.

Pride looked at his palms. There were small, circular burns on them. "Bullets… charged with Humilities chi… Show yourself, traitor!"

Wuya suddenly appeared before him, flustered and panicking as if she hadn't done it willingly. Pride grabbed her by the throat and started choking her. "Did you really think I didn't know?" he growled. "Did you really think that by simply taking me into your bed you had earned my trust and could parade around behind my back doing whatever you wanted?" Wuya tried to say something, but gagged and choked. "I knew all along that you were conspiring to take me down. Wrath and Sloth… you were a fool to think they could do the job… and now your foolishness and will cost you your life." He tightened his grip on her neck, digging his fingers in to draw blood, but then he paused and tossed her aside. "Wait… I have a better idea." He turned to Rush. "Envy, you finish her off. Prove to me your loyalty by ending this once and for all."

Rush glanced at the Sin and slowly nodded. "As you wish, my lord." He muttered as one of Greed's swords appeared in his hand. He slowly approached Wuya, everyone else in the room watching in horror was he stood above her and raised the blade above his head.

"Think about what you're doing Rush!" Omi called.

"This isn't you!" Saya shouted.

"You're not one of them! You're a hero!" Clay agreed.

"You're not evil!" Rai snapped.

"Don't do this!" Kimiko shouted.

Omi and Saya turned to Master Fung who was watching with the same blank stare he always had. "Say something!" Omi demanded. "We can't let him do this! She may be evil, but she's not the one we're fighting against!... Rush is one of us… we can't let him turn into one of them…"

The elderly monk eyed his student carefully, taking in his words. He nodded to and turned back to Rush. "Do what must be done, Rush." He said calmly.

Rush looked at the old man, making eye contact. He nodded back and lifted his blade slightly higher. "I am doing what must be done." He said. "This whole ordeal is my doing… and I will take the punishment for it…" With that he dropped the sword, turned towards Pride, and pointed his open palm at the Sin.

A thin beam of neon green energy shot out of Rush's hand and hit Pride in the center of his Chest. Pride gasped in surprise. He'd been caught with his guard down… but how? A large green orb of chi was slowly pulled out of him and flew over to Rush who absorbed it into his body, making his eyes glow blood red.

"But… how…" Pride managed to gasp.

"You forgot one thing." Rush said. "You're my responsibility."

"How…" Pride gasped again.

"I used my ability to take anything from anyone on you… I took the Sin of Pride away… so you're nothing but a mortal now… which means you can die."

Pride looked up to him, now sickly pale and seemingly so fragile. It was almost like he was dying already. But for some reason her was smiling… grinning in ironic pleasure. "You… fool… you've doomed… yourself." He said as he staggered to his feet. "The Sin of Pride and I… we were created… together. We share… a special bond. If… I die… it goes with me… as does whoever it… inhabits. You've just killed yourself!"

Rush just snorted as a dagger appeared in his hand. "You know something, before now I was afraid of death. I couldn't think of a single thing I was willing to die for… but now I have found something I will die for… and there's over six billion of them."

Pride laughed. "You're going to sacrifice yourself to save this pitiful race of humans?"

"Better than letting you exterminate them!" Rush shouted as he threw the knife. It stabbed directly into Pride's heart. Pride dropped, his body now cold and lifeless. Rush smiled as an identical wound opened over his heart and he dropped to his knees, blood starting to run out of his mouth. "Begun by blood… by blood, undone." He said before falling to the ground, dead.

Rush died with a smile on his face.

~LATER~

The chains that everyone had been bound in disappeared after Rush died, as did the entire lair and the army of the Sins that those who were left behind had been fighting. They were alone now in the Antarctic… cold, sad, but victorious.

Omi and Mimi immediately ran to each other, greeting each other with a tight hug and a passionate kiss. The others rushed over to hear what had happened inside. Raven just kneeled next to Rush's body, weeping.

"So, Rush really was on our side?" Elena questioned after Master Fung finished telling the story.

"I do not know." Fung admitted. "But in the end he made the right decision."

After that Mala Mala Jong used the Golden Tiger Claws to open a portal to the ruins of the Xiaolin Temple. Many of the rebels went through immediately, wanting to get out of the cold and start celebrating and spreading the news. But Rai, Kim, Clay, Saya, Omi, Mimi, Julia, Elena, Dojo, Master Fung, Chase, Wuya, Hannibal, Jack, Dashi, Nina, Chief, Jess and Charity waited behind and watched as raven continued silently weeping over her lost love.

Eventually, the mute girl knew it was time to go and went over to them. In kind act, Clay picked up Rush's body to carry it back with them. But something went wrong… the portal disappeared.

"Look!" Wuya said with terror in her voice.

Everyone swung around to witness it, but no one believed what they saw. It was impossible. Dead was dead, he couldn't come back! But he was… Pride was still alive… bloody, wheezing, and barely able to move, but alive and standing... and his eyes were still glowing blood red. "No…" he growled. "I won't let it end like this…" he reached up and wrapped his fingers around his blind fold. "I won't… let it end… **like… THIS!**" he ripped the blind fold away from his face. Red light poured out of his eyes and everything was engulfed in it.

* * *

(a/n) 4 chapters left, people (2 of which will be epilogues). you could cut the tension with a knife. now only a few questions remain: how is Pride alive, what is he going to do next, and will he be able to be stopped? youll have to wait and see... MWAHAHAHAHA!


	21. End War Part 1

Chapter 20: End War Part 1

"Ugh…" Rai groaned as he forced his eyes open. The last thing he remembered was a flash of red light as Pride tore off his blind fold… and now this. "What happened?"

"The end of the world..." Chase said.

Rai forced himself to his feet to find Chase standing near by. Almost everyone else was awake too, only Jess and Charity were still unconscious. Everything seemed fine at first, but something was wrong.

They weren't in Antarctica anymore, as far as he could tell. There was no snow or ice and it couldn't have been freezing temperature out. The group stood on a baron patch of land, devoid of plants and any other life other than them. The sky was also unusual, a swirling mass of black, white, and gray instead of clouds or anything else. It was quiet. No one moved. Everyone seemed to be transfixed on something. Rai looked in the same direction and was horrified at what he saw.

Chase was right. It really was the end of the world. The land they stood on was just a small fragment of the earth, killed and shattered by the red flash Pride had released. It hovered in this abyss among other fragments of the planet, none any bigger than a mile across at the most. There didn't seem to be any other life anywhere at all… other than the lifeless bodies of Gluttony, Wrath, Greed, and Sloth floating among the land fragments. It was like they were the last… but there was one thing that stood out in this abyss. Pride hovered in the distance, curled up the fetal position and his body pulsing with red energy. With every pulse the energy field grew smaller as if storing itself in Pride's body until it was ready to burst.

"What's going on?" Rai asked.

"We're waiting." Chase explained.

"Why? He's completely vulnerable!" Rai pointed out. "We should take him out now while there's still a chance of restoring the earth!"

"And what makes you think we can?" Chase snapped.

Kimiko walked up and placed her hand on Rai's shoulder. "It's over, Rai." She said sadly. "The earth is gone… and who knows what will happen when the energy Pride is absorbing disappears completely… all we can do is wait until the end comes for us as well."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Rai snapped. "What is wrong with you? We've never given up before!"

_This realm… it's affecting them…_

Rai swung around, expecting to find someone behind him, maybe Master Fung, Dashi, or even Hannibal. But no, there was no one there. "Great. Now I'm hearing voices." Rai grumbled.

_Earth can be saved…_

"Wait a minute…" Rai paused… he knew that voice. "Rush?"

_Pride must be destroyed… now…_

Rai clenched his fist and grinned. "That settles it then." He growled. His eyes suddenly turned black and red, the black angel wings appeared on his back, and the black sword appeared in his hand. "You've had your fun, Pride. But now it's time these games to end." He shouted in his double voice, still sounding demonic. "You're mine!"

Rai raced to the edged of the land fragment and jumped off, spreading his wings taking flight straight for Pride. All he needed was two minutes to soar to Pride and then slice him in half. Two minutes was all he needed to save the world.

But it wasn't going to be as easy as he'd wanted, he knew that… and learned that it would be harder than expected quickly. Out of nowhere a semi-truck sized hunk of rock flew passed him. It he hadn't noticed it and swerved at the last second it would've crushed him! Still he continued forward as more and more land fragments of various sizes shot at him. He easily dodged them all, save for a few tiny ones that scratched his skin. But he was losing time with each maneuver. Pride's aura was getting smaller by the second. It wouldn't be long now…

Rai swerved around one last land fragment, this one the size of a football field. He was so close to Pride now that he could make out his face. Just a few more seconds and it would be all over. But then his worst fear happened… the aura vanished. Pride roared, his eyes blazing with red energy as his limbs stretched out. The aura appeared again as seven tendril like beams of it shot out, scattering in several directions. One went right through Rai's chest, leaving no physical damage but still causing severe pain. He was hurled back, so fast that when he hit a few land fragments he cracked them in half. He landed on the same land fragment he's started on with the others, slamming right into Wuya.

Rai's wings and sword disappeared as he rolled of Wuya in severe pain. The beam that had shot through him had also hit Wuya, leaving a ring of red energy on her chest. She screamed and shrieked in pain as a red orb slowly arose from her body and flew away with the energy tendril, being absorbed into Pride's body. Two more of the beam showed up shortly after, both of which pierced Rush's dead body and stole two more red orbs from him. The others watched as the remaining four went two the bodies of the other four Sins, taking energy from them as well.

"Rai!" Kimiko kneeled down next to her boyfriend and placed her hand on his head. "Rai, are you ok?"

"Hurts." Rai grunted in pain. "Can't move."

"Here it comes!" Omi shouted.

All eyes went back to Pride, still roaring as his body absorbed the chi of all seven Sins. But then all was quiet and his body went limp. His eyes still flashed red, but the energy was gone. Then he began to laugh, faintly at first but quickly growing louder and more maniacal. Then they saw what was happening. Something was slowly consuming his body… black, sludge-like, with a ghastly odor. It quickly covered Pride, ripping most of his clothes away and leaving only his head, shoulders, and upper torso revealed. Still, the black substance grew, slowly taking the shape of something monstrous.

It was enormous, its gaunt body stretching so deep into the abyss that it faded into the darkness before it stopped. At first it seemed like it was only a huge black pillar, but then arms sprouted, long, thin, and boney, with three black claws at the end of both. Next a mass amount of tentacles grew from its back and began lashing out in all directions uncontrollably, soon growing longer than its arms. Next came the head, black human skull barely covered by a thin layer of flesh with a bird-like beak and razor blade teeth. It opened its eyes, hideous yellow orbs with the Sins seven pointed star as pupils… and all the while Pride was still laughing, embedded into the creature's chest.

"What is it?" Saya asked, grabbing onto Clay's arm.

"Pure evil…" Wuya said. "I was afraid of this. Pride's been pushed to the edge so he's gone to his last resort."

"This?" Clay questioned.

"There's a reason he always had his eyes covered… now he's taken all seven Sins into himself, creating a creature of pure evil… all he wants to do now is destroy everything in his sight… this is how it all ends."

"Like hell it is!" Kimiko snapped as she stomped over to Wuya. "There has to be a way to stop him. We have all seven Virtues here! If he can combine all seven Sins then there must be a way to use the Virtues to take him down permanently and save the world."

"Oh, there's a way." Wuya said, crossing her arms and glaring at the monster Pride had become. "But it has a cost that I'm sure a few people here won't be able or won't want to pay."

"And what might that be?" Kimiko demanded.

"The lives of those that carry the Virtues."

All went silent. All seven of them? Dashi, Fung, Jess, Charity, Chief, Raven, and Jack would have to die for the rest of them to live? How was that fair? Too much blood had already been shed. Jet, Raphael, and even Rush had given their lives in the war against the Sins. Why should seven more innocents give their lives to end it?

"You're wrong." Kimiko growled.

"If only, kid." Wuya said. "If only…"

"That settles it, then." Chief stepped forward, standing at the edge of the land fragment. "I have lived over fifteen hundred years to see this day. If my blood must be spilled to end it all, I am willing…" He turned to the others, focusing on the carriers of the other Virtues. "What about the rest of you?"

Surprisingly, Charity was the first to join him. "I have committed the unthinkable and have taken my brothers life. I can not redeem myself for that… if I must face the judgment of Allah, I wish to do it now."

"I will too." Jess said, joining them. "There's nothing left for me here, anyway. My parents and my brother are all in heaven…" she paused and smiled, looking off into space. "I think it's time I joined them… especially if it means that everyone else can live because of it."

Raven obviously said nothing. She just took one last look at Rush's body, nodded sympathetically with tears in her eyes and joined Chief.

Jack turned to his girlfriend, who had her arms crossed and looked away from him. "Nina." Jack said.

"Don't." Nina said. "Just go."

"No." Jack said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Not until you say you're ok with it."

Nina was surprised at first, but sighed and hugged him back. "Jack… just go before I change my mind." she said, starting to cry.

Jack nodded and pulled away, starting towards Chief and the others. But then he stopped, an idea suddenly crossing his mind. He quickly pulled his trench coat off and threw it to Nina who caught it in one hand. "To remember me by." He said with a wink.

Master Fung was next to take a stand. "I may not have lived for centuries, but I have lived a long and fulfilling life. I trust that my students will do well without me… I have given the last of my thousand lessons."

"No you haven't!" Saya snapped. "There has to be another way. You can't do this, Master Fung!"

"Yeah, Master." Clay agreed. "You're not done teaching us yet." Julia, Elena, and Dojo all agreed.

There was not changing his mind. The elderly monk had made his decision. "Say something Omi!" Mimi snapped. "You know him better than anyone!"

Omi nodded and turned to his long time master, who seemed to have stopped to hear what he had to say. "Master Fung… you've been like a father to me for as long as I can remember. You taught me everything I know, how to fight, right from wrong, how to make the right decisions… I can't imagine life without you. But once again, you pull out something you haven't taught me. You're doing the right thing… and all I can say is that I'm proud to have been your student while I could… consider your thousand lessons taught to me."

The elderly monk smiled and kneeled down to hug him. "I will miss you." Omi said.

"As I will all of you." Master Fung agreed, tears in his eyes.

Dashi remained silent and stationary with his arms crossed. He and Wuya stared at each other, both waiting for the other to say what they both wanted to say. Finally, Wuya sighed and gave in. "I was a fool, Dashi." She said, walking over to him. "You saved me from a life I hated and I spat in your face, taking power over love. You were good to me… but good wasn't in me."

"Are you saying if you could you would take it back?" Dashi asked, grinning, knowing the answer.

"No." Wuya grinned, leaning in to kiss him quickly. "All I'm saying is that maybe I should've dragged you with me."

"Maybe." Dashi said, kissing her one last time to join the other six Virtues.

The seven Holy Virtues gathered in a circle and took each others hands, letting the chi within then surge through them all. A circle of golden energy appeared around them as their clothes and hair started flapping around like there was wind. Soon their bodies began to glow. The others watched, wanting to take in every last second they could of their loved ones last moments. Then, in a golden flash, they were gone, leaving a shining white chi orb behind. It was complete. All seven Virtues had gathered into a single being, but something wasn't right.

"Jack!"

Jack was still there, lying on the ground, alive… and missing one of his legs. He breathed heavily and clutched what was left of his leg as Nina raced over to him. She kneeled next to him and cradled his head.

"But how?" Wuya questioned. "It should've taken his body as well."

"Jack was the Virtue of Diligence, right?" Nina asked. Wuya agreed and Nina smiled, kissing him on the forehead. "It looks like he still has a job to do in his life… too bad it took another one of your limbs, huh?"

Jack smiled weakly and nodded.

"Ok, love fest is over now." Wuya said, grimacing at the sight of Jack and Nina. "Now all we need is a new carrier for the Virtues."

"I'll do it." Kimiko said. "That monster hurt Rai… now it's gunna pay."

"Don't even think you're doing this alone." Clay said as he, Saya, Dojo, Omi, Mimi, Julia, and Elena walked up to her. "We started this together; we're going to end it that way."

"Julia, Mimi and I would join in," Elena said, "But none of us randomly manifested element controlling abilities or anything along those line. We'd just slow you down, you understand."

Dojo grew to his flying size and Clay and Saya jumped onto his back. Omi simply clinched his fist and a dark aura surrounded his body as tentacle like tattoos appeared all over him. Then Kimiko stepped forward and reached for the Virtue chi. It instantly shot at her and was absorbed into her in a blinding flash. There was no dramatic change, only a golden aura and her hair and clothes flapping around in a nonexistent wind. "Let's do this!" she shouted.

Kimiko and Omi ran to the edge of the land fragment and jumped off, taking flight, Dojo following after them with Clay and Saya on his back. "Good luck." Mimi said as they flew away.

"This should be interesting." Chase said.

It didn't take long for the beast to notice what was coming its way. It shrieked at them and sent three tentacles their way. Dojo rush to the front and Clay used his elemental power to throw a large land fragment in the way. The tentacles crashed into it, cracking it into three pieces and as they fell away Saya threw a lightning at them. The monster shrieked as one of its tentacles caught the bolt fell limp temporarily. It sent five more at them, joining the remaining two from its first assault. Dojo blasted four of them with his fiery breath and Omi took out the last three, flying up front and blasting them with dark energy, incinerating them. The beast shrieked but the man imbedded into its chest just laughed.

Five more tentacles came at them as did massive land fragments. Clay used his elemental power to crush and shatter the land fragments while the others continued taking out the tentacles. All the while Kimiko just kept on flying head on, intent on getting to her target without any distractions.

Clay decided to go on the offensive. He caught a massive land fragment that was coming at him and threw it back at the monster. It collided with the beast with a thundering clap, knocking it around a bit but not doing any severe damage. At this point Saya jumped off of Dojo's back and started jumping from rock to rock until she was within striking distance. She jumped into the air as the beast sent a dozen tentacles at her. As quickly as she could she struck all twelve of them with lightning bolts and then sent one more massive attack straight at the beasts head.

It roared as the electricity coursed through it, but Pride's body continued laughing. The beast raised up one of its boney arms and smacked Saya away. The dragon of lightning crashed into a small land fragment. She stood up and tried going at it again, but the crash had broken few ribs and she had to sit the rest of the battle out.

"Saya!" Clay shouted. Dojo shot straight at the beast, blasting oncoming tentacles with flames as Clay caught two massive land fragments with his powers. He slammed the two rocks into the monster, crushing it as far as he could tell. But it quickly regained its strength and black flames shot out of its mouth, hitting Clay and Dojo directly. Dojo was knocked out and shrank to his regular size. Clay managed to catch him and landed on a land fragment where he and the dragon sat for the rest of the battle.

Not Omi was the last line of defense for Kimiko. He flew in front of her, blasting away every tentacle, land fragment, and jet of black fire that came their way. They were so close. Victory was almost within their grasp. Omi could clearly make out the features of Pride's face. But at the last second a tentacle lurched out and grabbed Omi, pulling him away. Still, it was too late. Kimiko was too close for him to react again. She crashed into the creature, the golden aura blazing around her, slamming directly into Pride. She tore straight through it, removing Pride's body from the monster.

When Kimiko and Pride emerged on the other side both were unconscious. Omi managed to escape the creatures grasp and flew out to catch Kimiko, but left Pride to fall for eternity.

Dojo quickly regained consciousness and flew Clay over to Saya. Saya was in pain due to her ribs, but she could bear it. They flew back to where the others stood. Jack was conscious now, standing with his arm around Nina's shoulders for support and his trench coat tied around his leg stump. Rai was able to stand as well and took Kimiko into his arms. "Kim? Kim, are you all right?" he asked.

"Tearing through the Sin monster like that took a lot out of her." Wuya said. "She could've taken severe internal injury."

"And it was all for not." Hannibal said, pointing to where the monster once stood. "Looks like this war isn't over yet."

Still cradling Kimiko in his arms, Rai turned to face the beast and he couldn't believe what he saw. "No. This should've worked! Why isn't it dead?"

"Pride's body must've acted as an anchor…" Wuya explained. "He could've been keeping the Sins in check so that they didn't become too powerful… but I always thought it was the other way around."

"Well that's just great!" Rai shouted. "Now what are we going to do?"

Out in the abyss, floating where the monster had once stood, was a colossal dragon with the same eyes as they previous monster.

* * *

(a/n) for the love of god, how hard is it to kill this guy!? lol. I love cliffhangers, dont you? only a few chapters left people, counting the epilogue. I hope you can't wait, cuz neither can I.


	22. End War Part 2

Chapter 21: End War Part 2

Colossal. That was the only word capable of describing the size of the dragon Pride had become. Coal black, armor like scales ran down the length of its neck, back, limbs and tail and its underbelly was shining silver. Two rows of spines ran down its back from the tip of its tail to the connection of its head and neck. Its massive wings were muscular, coal black with silver skin membranes stretched from the tip of the wing to its back. The skin on its head seemed to be thick like armor, jutting out into three spines in the back and a small (in proportion to itself) horn above its nostrils. Its hideous yellow eyes still used the Sins insignia, the seven pointed star, as pupils. And, to top things off, seven shining red orbs were embedded into its head in a vertical row between its eyes… It was the Sin Dragon.

"Rai…" Kimiko choked, snapping the Brazilian boy who was cradling her in his arms out of his trance.

"Kimiko… are you all right?" Rai asked, kneeling down and setting her on the ground.

"I told you her internal injuries were severe." Wuya reiterated. "She probably won't last much longer."

"Don't talk like that!" Julia snapped, smacking her on the back of her head.

"Why bother avoiding the truth?" Wuya questioned nonchalantly. "In all honesty, she only made things worse for us. Look at what we have to face now. Any idea on how to kill this thing when **all seven Virtues** couldn't do it?"

"She said shut it!" Elena snapped, mimicking her girlfriend's earlier action.

Kimiko smiled weakly as Rai gently placed his hand on her cheek. "Jess told me… about what she did." She said

"Kim, I…" he stopped when he saw the look in her eyes.

"We're going to… have a long talk about that… the next time I see you." She said.

Rai knew what she meant. "Kim, don't talk like that!" he pleaded. "You're going to be fine! I'll make sure of it."

Kimiko giggled weakly and shook her head as best she could. "Same old Rai… you don't… listen…" She fell limp, her breathing faint but still there.

"Kimiko! Kimiko, no!" Rai pleaded, tears running down his cheeks as he watched the color fade from her face. Rai lowered his head and, for the first time in as long as he could remember, started to sob. "No, damn it! This can't be happening!"

Everyone watched as Rai cried for his lost love, each reacting differently. Omi and Mimi clutched each others hands and squeeze tightly. Clay, still cradling the injured Saya in his arms, hugged her as tightly as he could without hurting her broken ribs. Saya just started to cry. Julia and Elena knelt down next to Rai and tried to comfort him, but to no avail. Jack and Nina just watched, knowing, or at least almost knowing, how he felt. Dojo wiped the tears out of his eyes. Even the three villains, Chase, Hannibal, and Wuya, felt some sympathy for Rai then.

"I thought yer ribs were broken, Saya." Clay said. "Doesn't it hurt to cry like that?"

"It's nothing compared to what he's going through right now." Saya said.

_It will be all right…_

Rai lifted his head and looked over his shoulder after hearing Rush's voice again. They stood just on the other side of the land fragment, just as they'd been before they died only shining with golden skin, clothes and hair. Rush and Raven's spirits made their way over to Rai. Raven moved her hand over Saya's stomach as she passed her, magically healing the blond girl's ribs. She then knelt down on the other side of Kimiko and placed her hand on the Japanese girl's forehead, looking at Rai.

_Go. She'll be fine._

Against his better judgment, Rai stood and turned to face Rush who was staring at him with a mischievous smirk. _Ready to end this once and for all?_ Rush's spirit asked. It was all Rai could do to nod. Rush's spirit laughed and nodded back extending one hand. Hovering just above his palm was a shining purple seal. The outline of a diamond with the top cut off, a dot in the center, and two lines jutting out from the top sides.

"No." Wuya said softly. "He's not thinking…"

Without a second thought Rai took the seal from Rush, clenching it in his fist. Instantly the identical seal burning into his back began to shine and he was lifted into the air. He body began to glow bright white and he absorbed Rush's part of the seal into him.

"This is not good." Wuya said.

"How so?" Hannibal asked.

"The Seal of Thanatos was split for a reason. Pride himself couldn't even bring himself to wield it as a whole. There are no limitations to what could happen if this screws up even slightly."

Chance just chuckled. "Then let us pray that the boy knows what he's doing."

With another blinding white flash Rai's transformation was complete. It was similar to his previous uses of the seal, only now his wings were snow white, his sword was solid gold with glowing white etchings in it, and his eyes now glowed bright white. He slowly fell back to the ground, landing softly next to Kimiko and kneeling down next to her. "Don't you die on me." he said, kissing her forehead before turning back to Rush. "If this doesn't work… I'm kicking your ass in the after life." He joked.

Rush just laughed. _We'll see about that. _He said. _Now go get him._

Rai turned to the others. "Enjoy the show!" he laughed before flapping his wings and taking off to battle the dragon.

"Do not fail us, Raimundo." Omi said quietly.

Rai flew out to battle the dragon with amazing speed, slashing through oncoming land fragments with his sword and easily avoiding oncoming jets of black fire from the beast. At the last second, a land fragment moved in front of the Sin Dragon, but Rai easily hacked it in half and then landed on the beasts head, digging his fingers into its head around the first of the red orbs quickly and plucking it from the dragons head. He took off again, flying straight back behind it before tossing the orb into the air and shattering it with his sword. "One down… six to go." He said.

At that moment the dragon's tail swung up, slamming directly into Rai and knocking him out of flight, the spines digging into his skin. Rai plummeted for only a few seconds before his wings took to the air again and he went back for more. The Sin Dragon swung around and slashed at him with one of its claws. Rai maneuvered around it and flew up to its neck, dragging his sword across the underside, leaving a ridiculously long though superficial cut. As he flew in front of its face the dragon let out a jet of flames. Rai flapped his wings to postpone them long enough to get out of the way and then went for the orbs again. This time he didn't bother grabbing one, instead just jabbing his blade at one, shattering it while still in the monsters head. The dragon roared and flung its head up, knocking Rai away again. This time Rai couldn't take flight fast enough to react and the tail hit him again, launching him back towards the head.

As Rai plummeted before the Sin dragon it caught him in one claw, bringing him close to its face as it took in a deep breath, preparing for another blast of fire. Rai broke free at the last second, hacking off the claw and flying for the head again. He took out another one of the orbs and managed to avoid falling into the same trap as last time.

Rai could tell that the Sin dragon was weakening. With each orb he destroyed its attacks got weaker. Once he got rid of the first six the last wouldn't be a challenge at all!

Rai avoided the dragons snapping jaw and went to destroy another orb. This time he landed and pulled it from the head, shattering it after tossing it into the air again. He remained on the beast and slid down its back while standing. As he reached the wings he took flight again, planning to do some damage to the membranes that kept the monster aloft. But before he could it swung around again, snapping its jaw at him. It then flapped its wings powerfully, sending a gust of wind that caused Rai to fly back half way between the dragon and the land fragment where the others stood. He landed on a small rock and jumped off it, launching himself at the dragon with amazing speed. It tried blasting him with fire, but Rai simply slashed through them with his sword. He landed on its head again, stabbing at one orb while he shattered another with his fist.

The Sin Dragon knew it was losing this battle, but planned to go down fighting. It tossed its head around, throwing Rai off of it and then snatched him up in its remaining front claw, tightening its grip so that he couldn't use his sword this time. This time Rai didn't know how to escape. His wings were being crushed, his sword was all but useless at the moment, and the beast was determined to crush the breath out of him.

The next thing he knew, just as the dragon was about to incinerate him with a breath of black flames, Hannibal appeared out of nowhere in his suit of armor and caught the dragon with an uppercut. Then Wuya appeared nearby and used her magic to catch the dragon's eyes in green flames, hopefully blinding it. And last, Chase appeared in his reptilian form and used his talons to hack the its claw off, freeing Rai. "Go! There are only two left!" Chase urged.

Rai quickly took flight again, going straight for the beast's head as the other three distracted it. He shattered one with his golden sword as he flew over top and then went back and landed on it, shouting as he stabbed his blade into the final orb.

The Sin Dragon roared as its body erupted in a black light. Wuya grabbed Rai's arm and they, along with Hannibal and Chase, teleported back to the others as its body was destroyed, vanishing in a flash of darkness.

Back on the land fragment where the others waited, they watched as the dragon was destroyed. As Raven's spirit finished healing Kim, she and Rush vanished and at the last second Kimiko's eyes snapped open and she gasped, sitting up as it disappeared into chaos. "Is it over?" she gasped.

"Looks like it." Clay said.

Rai, Chase, Hannibal, and Wuya reappeared. "Let's hear it for the big hero." Wuya said sarcastically.

Rai immediately rushed over to Kimiko and pulled her into a tight hug, unaware that he'd reverted to normal and the seal on his back had faded away. "Kimiko! Thank god you're all right!" he said.

Kimiko just laughed as she started to cry. "I'm sure you had something to do with it too, sweetie."

As everyone gathered to celebrate their victory, they were completely unaware that they were being watched. Two figures stood at the far end of the land fragment, no more than shadows but still there, still watching… the Seal of Thanatos appeared on one of their foreheads.

_So, with the death of one monster comes with birth of many more._ The first figure said to the other. _Count yourself luck I need you for my plans… no go wait for my call… I shall finish here._

_As you wish_. Said the one with the seal on its forehead, vanishing as it spoke. With that, the first figure opened a portal and vanished.

"Hey, look!" Julia said. "A portal opened! Looks like we did it!"

"Yeah." Omi agreed. "Let's head home."

Chase was the first to pass through, not wanting to remain in this realm any longer. He was quickly followed by Hannibal and Wuya. Dojo grew to his flying size, having Nina, Julia, and Elena help Jack onto his back and then he flew the four of them through the portal as well. Omi and Mimi both dashed for the portal with Clay, Saya, Rai, and Kim following after quickly. Mimi passed through without a problem…

And then it vanished before the last five could make it through.

"None of you are leaving until my brother is truly gone."

A purple haze suddenly materialized on the ground around the five dragons and a woman rose from it where the portal had been. She was tall, slender, and curvy with long flowing blond hair. She wore a long purple skirt with a golden hem, slit along one side to expose one leg, and what looked like a purple poncho with a golden dragon design, which hung off of one shoulder, exposing some of the opposite arm and some cleavage. She also wore a blindfold, like Pride used to. "You may have destroyed the Seven Deadly Sins, but the body they once inhabited still lives."

"Purple and gold." Saya said softly. "The colors of royalty."

"What do you mean?" Kimiko demanded. "Pride's body fell into the abyss. I made sure of it!"

The woman simply chuckled. "Foolish girl. You caused more harm than good when you did that. The Sins' acted as an anchor; preventing my brother from unleashing his true potential… you're in for one wild ride."

"And who are you to say that?" Clay questioned.

The woman chuckled again. "I've had many names over the ages… the Alchemist, the Black Mage, the Succubus… But I've grown accustomed to one title in particular." As she spoke her body began to fade into the haze around her feet. "They call me… Lilith." And she faded away, and all was quiet.

"What do we do now?" Omi questioned.

"**NOW ALL** **YOU DIE!**"

A ring of fire blazed up around the edges of the land fragment, trapping them there at Pride slowly phased into view on the other side. His eyes glowed blood red, his hair seemed wet and matted against his face, his shirt and sash were gone and his pants were torn and tattered, and his body was surrounded by a pulsing black aura. "I thank you for relieving me from my restraints, but you have caused me enough annoyance. I believe that you're usefulness is long passed due."

"We'll see about that." Rai said.

Omi was the first to move. He waved one hand before him and a path of ice appeared between him and Pride. He started racing at him, waiting until the last second to wave his other hand, sending a barrage of ice spears at him. A wall of energy appeared before the demonic man which absorbed Omi's attack, sending it back at him. Kimiko and Saya jumped in front of Omi, Kimiko blocking the ice spears with a wall of fire and Saya sending bolts of Lightning at Pride, all three jumping back as Pride caught the lightning in his hand. He threw the bolts back at them, but Clay got in the way and pulled a wall of rock out of the ground, blocking the lightning and then kicking it, sending it skidding across the ground straight at Pride. Pride simply knocked the wall away and then charged at them, gliding over the ground. But before he had moved much at all Rai got in his way, planning to blast him with and intense gust of wind. Before he could, though, Pride punched him across the face and then knocked him away. Rai landed on his hands and then flipped onto his feet, sending waves of intense wind at him. Kim ran to his side and added her fire to his attack.

Pride took the attack head on but emerged unharmed, other than some singed arm hair. "My turn." He muttered, clapping his hands together in their direction. A ring of fire appeared around them and scattered out in all directions. Omi quickly circled around it, a wall of water emerging in his whack which extinguished the flames. The short monk skidded to a halt and sent more ice at Pride. This time he managed to deflect most of them, but a couple caught his arm, causing superficial scratches. Before he could retaliate walls of rock and earth rose up around him, leaving only one opening at the top. Saya and Clay stood atop. Clay only tipped his hat as Saya send powerful lightning bolts down into the rock walls. The walls shattered at the attack struck Pride, causing a cloud of dust to rise up.

They all waited for the dust to clear, watching as Pride became visible through the smog, standing in a wide circle around him. Pride still stood, weakened by the attack and barely able to move at the moment, but still alive. "Foolish children." Pride laughed. "I am immortal!"

"We'll see about that." Omi growled. "Let's end this, everyone! Water Style: Waves of Sono Mizu Kami!" Chi energy went pulsing through his body, surging out of him and forming a tidal wave of energy which went crashing towards Pride.

"Fire Style: Flames of Sono Kasai Nisou!" Kimiko shouted, releasing blast of energy like a flame thrower at Pride.

"Earth Style: Stones of Sono Tsuchi Rurousha!" Clay shouted, unleashing his energy like a rock slide.

"Wind Style: Gale of Sono Kaze Touzuko!" Rai shouted, unleashing gales of energy.

"Lightning Style: Bolts of Sono Denkou Kisaki!" Saya shouted, sending bolts of energy at Pride.

The demonic man took each attack one after another, each chipping away at this power until it was gone. As the last of the attacks faded, Pride's body erupted in a blinding white light as he roared in rage and defeat. One moment he was there, and the next everything had disappeared into the light.

~LATER~

"Omi… wake up, Shorty."

Omi groaned as he forced his eyes open, pleased to see his favorite French red head kneeling over him. "Mimi…" he said, sitting up. "Did we do it? Is everything back to normal?"

Mimi smiled and kissed his forehead. "Yeah. Everything's fine now." she said. "Other than that gigantic pimple on your neck."

"What?" Omi demanded.

"Kidding, kidding!" Mimi laughed. "It's just your head."

"Not… funny…" Omi grumbled.

It wasn't long after that when Rai, Kim, Clay, and Saya were awake as well. They were at the temple ruins again. Jack, Nina, Chase, Wuya, Hannibal, Julia, Elena and Dojo were there as well. The sun was just starting to rise. "And so begins a brand new day." Chase said, turning to the others. "I leave you with my word, monks. The world has seen enough chaos as of late. I give my word that for five years time, I will not show my face again. But the second those five years are up… expect to be in for the fight of your lives."

"Bring it." Rai said. "Nothing could be worse than what we just went through." Chase nodded and backed away, disappearing into the jungle.

"I make no vow of peace." Hannibal said. "But I need time to recuperate… you will see me again as well." With that the Yin-Yang bird swooped down and grabbed Hannibal with its talons, taking him back into the Yin-Yang World.

"And what about you, Wuya?" Clay asked.

Wuya just stood there, watching the sun rise for a moment before giving a half-assed waved and disappearing into a blaze of green fire.

Jack and Nina were next to leave, Jack summoning his jet with a remote control. They climbed into the cockpit and, due to jack's weakened condition, Nina took the controls as they flew off.

"So… what now?" Elena asked.

"The temple's still burned down… Master Fung is gone… there's really nothing we can do." Julia said.

"Not necessarily." Omi said.

"What do you mean?" Dojo questioned.

Omi paused, trying to choose the best possible words for what he was about to say. "We've been the guardians of this world for who knows how long, and we've just saved it from certain doom… again. I say we deserve a vacation… and a long one at that."

"What are you saying, Omi?" Kimiko asked.

"Raimundo, Kimiko, Clay, Mimi, Julia, Elena… I want you to go back you your homes… go have a normal life for as long as you can." To his surprise, no one argued, but there was an awkward silence.

"You know what, Omi's right." Rai agreed. "Let's go home, see our families… be normal for the first time in a couple years."

"But what about Omi and Saya?" Julia asked. "They've got nowhere to go."

"Hey, I survived as a drifter for more than seven years before any of you even knew I existed." Saya said. "And Omi's not wimp. I'm sure we can survive on our own for a while."

"Well, it's settled then." Omi said. "Dojo, take them home."

"Whatever you say, kids." The dragon agreed, growing to his flying size. Clay and Saya kissed one last time before Clay jumped onto Dojo's back, as did Mimi and Omi. Julia, Elena, Rai and Kim climbed on after them.

"Let's just promise that we'll keep in contact." Mimi suggested. Everyone happily agreed.

Omi and Saya waved goodbye as Dojo took off. "First stop, Sydney, Australia!" the dragon announced.

"Actually, no." Julia corrected. "My family lives in Barcelona now, remember. Dojo just shrugged and changed course, heading for Tokyo first instead.

"So, what do we do now?" Omi asked his older sister.

Saya thought about it for a moment, running her fingers through her hair. "Wanna go to Tibet?" she asked. "The monks around there know how to throw one wild party… trust me, I spend a lot of time where on my travels."

"Sounds like a plan." Omi agreed, bumping fists with his sister before they ran off into the jungle. "Slow down!" Omi shouted. "Your legs are longer than mine!"

* * *

(a/n) there you have it. that's the end... other than the two epilogue chapters I have planned, coming soon. now, as you may have noticed, I have set this up for a fourth installment. however, I cant decide if i want to do a fourth or now, so heres the deal: I have a pole about this on my profile. go there and vote if you want a 4th installent of this series or not. its up to you, but either way it will be quite a while before I even start. also, for those of you who dont remember, the attacks that the monks used to kill Pride where from the scrolls Omi found in the temple library in Seven Sins. well, thats it. I hope you look forward to the epilogue.


	23. Epilogue

Epilogue

"WOO-HOO!" Raimundo shouted as he caught one last wave on his surf board before heading back to the beach. He was confident that, after that performance, this surfing competition was practically in the palm of his hand.

Rai reached the beach and rejoined the line up of other contestants as the announcer called the next person up. For the next few hours he stood on the beach, holding his surfboard, watching his competition, and giving mischievous grins to girls that passed by. He actually laughed at himself for that last part. Despite all the looks he threw around and the occasional friendly conversation, he actually didn't find any of them nearly as attractive as Kimiko, who was in Japan with her dad. It had already been a month since the team had split up.

As the last of the competition came back to the beach, the scores were tallied up and a winner was chosen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone else who decided to join us here one this fantastic Rio de Janeiro day," the announcer called, "I'm proud to give the gold to Rio de Janeiro native, Raimundo Pedrosa!"

"Yeah!" Rai shouted, punching the air before running up to claim his medal. The announcer wrapped it around his neck and shook his hand and Rai said a few words for his fans to rave over. Afterwards he walked back onto the beach, going slowly to take in the cheers and praise from his fans. At one point two beautiful girls about his age walked up to him and asked if they could "hang out' with him for a while.

Rai just laughed. "Sorry, ladies, but I'm taken." He said proudly.

"Glad to hear it."

Rai recognized the voice immediately and swung around and was more than exhilarated to see Kimiko standing there… wearing nothing more than a black bikini and a purple, ankle length skirt with a slit running up one leg. "Kim!"

"Hey, Rai!" she responded as they embraced in a tight hug, followed by a kiss.

"What're you doing here, girl? I thought you'd be in Tokyo forever after being at the temple for so long."

"Oh, the usual." Kim said, grabbing his hand as they started down the beach. "I convinced my dad to buy a condo here in Rio, so I can basically visit any time I want."

"Best news I've heard all day." Rai said.

"Even better than winning that medal?"

"If there's anything more valuable than gold, you're it?" Rai said. "For the record, this is real gold."

Kim laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "C'mon, I'm only gunna be here for a few days so let's make the most of it."

"I like the sound of that"

"Keep your pants on, big boy. As I recall, we've still go some talking to do. Does Jess right a bell."

"You really know how to kill a moment, you know that?"

They spent the rest of the day together, spending much of their time on the beach and walking around the city. After a few hours they started to get hungry, so Rai took Kim to a restaurant that his older brother owned. Kim couldn't deny that it was great food, despite it being extremely high in fat and calories. After that they went around town for another hour or two, amazingly avoiding the dreaded conversation the whole time. Around sunset they went just outside of town to a cliff overlooking the city. They sat there watching the sunset for what seemed like hours in complete silence, Kim sitting on Rai's lap with his arms wrapped around her waist. "This has been the greatest day I've had in a long time." Rai said.

"Yeah." Kim agreed. "Now about that kiss with Jess…" she continued, ruining the mood.

Rai groaned. "What do you want me to say, Kimiko?" Rai asked. "She kissed me on an impulse, I pushed her away, and she apologized. That's all that…" Kim cut him off by planting her lips firmly against his. They kissed passionately for a moment or two before pulling apart, both breathing heavily.

"Just promise it won't happen again." Kim said, smiling.

"Kim, I'll die before that happens again." Rai said, smiling back.

They sat there for another ten minutes or so until the sunset ended, and then decided to head back into the city. It was then that something crossed Rai's mind. "So… you've got a condo here now, eh?"

"Yeah, but you're not going anywhere near it?"

"Why not?" Rai pleaded sarcastically, whimpering like a sad puppy afterwards.

"Because my dad is there." Kim explained.

"Ah… I will see you tomorrow then."

~PARIS, FRANCE~

"C'mon, Mimi. Why won't you go out with me?"

"I've told you before, Leon, I already have a boyfriend."

This had been going on for a few days now. After returning home to Paris, Mimi sat down and had a talk with her parents, convincing them that she should go to a public school instead of the preppy all girls school she'd been attending. Amazingly, they agreed and she now went to said public school. It was there that she met Leon who took an immediate liking to her and had been asking her out constantly ever since. For some reason he didn't believe that she was involved with anyone, probably because he never saw her with a guy anywhere at all, even around town. She kept telling him that Omi was in Tibet (as far as she knew) but he still didn't believe her.

At the moment they were sitting at a café, Leon refusing to leave her alone while Mimi tried to tolerate him without making a scene. "And where is he?" Leon demanded. "Oh, right, **Tibet**… like I'm going to believe that."

By now Mimi had tolerated him enough and she slammed her fist on the table. "All right, listen you. I'm done playing games. So I'm telling you right now, you have about ten seconds before I kick your ass into the next country." She snapped at him, still trying not to draw attention. "Nine… eight… sev--"

"Mimi, is there a problem?"

Mimi recognized the voice immediately and swung around in her chair. She was absolutely ecstatic to see her favorite pint sized Asian boy standing just behind her with a grin on his face. "Omi!" She jumped out of her chair, kneeled down and pulled the little monk into a tight hug. "I can't believe you're here! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Choking… can't… breath…" Omi gasped.

Mimi giggled and let him go. "Sorry, Shorty." she said, scratching the back of her head.

By now they could hear Leon laughing hysterically in the background. "You've got to be kidding me!" he managed to say. "This shrimp is your boyfriend? He's got to be half your age!"

Mimi turned around and glared at him. "I'll have you know that Omi is a few months older than me, thank you." she growled.

Leon just laughed. "Ok, I'll believe that." he chuckled. "But now I'm wondering if you really went to China, or the north pole instead."

"Are you implying that I am an elf?" Omi questioned.

"Either that or rein deer droppings."

"I find that offensive."

Leon laughed again and got up from his seat, crouching down in front of Omi to get to eye level. "What're you gunna do about it? Beat me up?" he asked sarcastically.

"No." Omi said calmly. "I believe she has that covered."

Leon gave him a confused look and realized too late what he meant. Mimi slammed her fist into his jaws, not caring about the resulting looks from the others in the café, causing him to topple over and hit his head on a nearby chair. "I suggest you disappear." she ordered. "For good." Leon didn't hesitate to leave, running out the door as if they were chasing him.

Mimi paid her bill after that and she and Omi left, going the opposite way that Leon did. She showed him around the city for a while, showing him all of the major tourist attractions, and briefly considered introducing him to her parents, but decided against it. Omi told her about what he'd been up to since the team had separated, apparently he and Saya had been spending a lot of time working their way across southern Asia. When asked what he was doing in Paris, he quickly flashed the Golden Tiger Claws and explained that Saya was in Texas with Clay. They ended up back in the same café as before, surprisingly without any trouble from anyone who was still there from before.

"So, how long are you going to be here before you and Saya head back to Asia?" Mimi asked, taking a sip of coffee.

Omi pulled one of the Skulls of Mento, the ruby one, out of his sleeve. "Whenever Saya or I feels like heading back, we simply contact the other. I intend on staying as long as I am welcome… and knowing Clay and Saya…"

"They probably have the same plans." Mimi finished for him. She then quickly got up, paid her bill again, and went back to the table. "C'mon." she said. "I'm pretty sure there are a few amusement parks around here that'll keep us busy until Saya calls."

Omi agreed, grabbed her hand and they headed out the door.

~BARCELLONA, SPAIN~

"What's wrong, honey?" Julia asked. "You seem sad."

"I don't know." Elena sighed.

The two girls were lying on the beach, just spending the day relaxing with each other. The last month had been… a bit difficult, put simply. At first they were both overly excited to be living in the same city and, by dumb luck, going to the same school. But they'd decided to keep their relationship a secret for the time being since Elena still wasn't quite comfortable with telling her parents or anyone else, even if Rai, Kim, and the others already knew. Despite this, however, Julia had already come out to her parents, both of which accepted her, most of the others at their school knew they were at least close friends. There had even been a few instances where their friends at school had tried to set them up with random guys.

"I guess I'm just starting to get tired of hiding who I am, you know." she said, taking Jewel's hand in hers.

Jewel smiled. "Are you saying that you're finally ready to tell people about us?" she asked.

Elena looked out to the ocean and sighed. "I guess… I just wish I knew how everyone would react… especially my family."

"I don't know what to tell you, Elena." Julia said, letting go of her hand and opening the cooler they'd brought with them and pulling out a can of soda. "All I know is that if I hear one more guy ask you out, I'm going to flip."

"Same here." Elena agreed.

Oh, the irony. Right then and there one of they boys they knew from their school walked over to them, the look on his face giving away what he intended on doing. "Hey, Elena. I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie some time."

Elena was about to snap, but she controlled herself. Despite what he'd just done annoying her to no end, she'd known him for a while and knew his was a nice guy. "Sorry." she said, grabbing Julia's hand and lacing their fingers together so that he could clearly see. "But I'm already involved with someone."

They could tell he was surprised and were glad to see he didn't make a big deal out of it. "All right." he said. "See you later then." And he walked off without another word.

Julia smiled and leaned over, kissing Elena on the cheek." Way to go." she said happily.

Elena turned to her girlfriend and returned the kiss, this time on the lips. "Couldn't have done it without you." she said.

"So, what now?" Jewel questioned.

Elena turned back to the ocean and thought about it for a moment. "… feel like meeting my parents?" she asked.

An hour later they found themselves standing in front of Elena's house. They would've walked in five minutes earlier, but Elena's nervousness got the better of her. "I'm sure they won't care. Everything's going to be fine." Julia insisted.

"I heard you the first time." Elena growled. "I'm just building my confidence, all right?" With that she reached out, opened the door, and they walked in. "Hello? Mom, Dad? Are you home?"

"Easy on the yelling, Sis." Elena's younger brother came out of the other room with his skate board. "Mom and Dad went shopping three hours ago."

"Any idea when they'll be home, Diego?" Elena asked.

Diego shrugged. "Fifteen, maybe twenty min…" he paused when he noticed Julia standing behind his sister. "Well, well, who's this?" he asked.

"I'm Julia." she answered.

Diego glanced between the two girls for a moment before his eyes went wide and he laughed. "Oh my god! You two are--" He stopped talking when the door opened again and their parents walked in with grocery bags. Elena and Julia snuck into the living room quickly.

"Does he know?" Jewel asked.

"Yeah. I think he's got ESP or something."

"Elena." Her mother said as she and her father entered the room. "Who's your friend?"

Elena's face went white with fear and she froze. "Uh…" Julia instinctively grabbed her hand, silently reassuring her as they sat on the couch, the parents sitting in two chairs across from them. "Um… Mom, Dad, this is Julia Marsh… She's my girlfriend." She sighed, tightening her grip on Julia's hand. "We've been dating for a while now."

Elena's parents just stared at them in disbelief for a moment before looking at each other quickly. But when they turned back, they were both smiling and nodded in approval. "Nice to meet you." her father said. Elena got up and hugged them both, thanking them over and over again with tears of joy in her eyes.

"Told you." Julia laughed.

~TEXAS, USA~

"Work, work, all week long! Punchin' that clock, dusk 'til dawn. Countin' the days 'til Friday night! That's when all the conditions are right for a good time… I need a good time." Clay happily sang along to Alan Jackson's "Good Time" as he drove his truck down the road. He was heading into the city to meet up with Saya. She'd called (very long distance call from Asia) him the day before and they agreed to meet that day to catch up. The grin hadn't left Clay's face since he hung up the phone.

"Havin' fun, bro?"

Clay looked out the drivers side window to find Jessie riding her motorcycle along side his truck. "Jessie, you realize you're on the wrong side of the road, right?"

"Like I care." Jessie said, rolling her eyes. "So, where're ya headed?"

"I'm meetin' Saya in town for a movie." Clay said. "What about you?"

"Meetin' the Vipers for our Saturday night ride through town." Jessie said.

Clay smirked and raised one eyebrow. "I thought your weekly ride was on Sunday." he pointed out.

Jessie's face went red and she pulled her hat down slightly. "All right, ya caught me… I've got a date too." There was a brief pause, the sounds of their engines taking up the silence. "Different movies." Jessie finally stated.

"Deal." Clay agreed. With that, Jessie pulled ahead of him and they continued on down the road.

Clay and Jessie parked their vehicles next to each other in the multiplex parking lot and walked in together, being sure to keep a safe distance. It didn't take Clay long at all to spot the golden haired Asian girl, but in the crowd of cowboy hats, she had a harder time spotting him. "What movie are you seein' again?" Clay asked his sister.

"Somethin' with a lot of explosions… probably Valkyrie." Jessie said.

"Right. Later then." They split up.

Clay approached Saya and called out her name. Saya turned around, smiled, and waved when she spotted him. They embraced and kissed quickly before choosing the movie. As promised, Jessie and her date ended up seeing Valkyrie, so he and Saya went to see Yes Man instead.

"So how've you and Omi been doin'?" Clay asked as they took their seats.

"We've been great." Saya said. "You should've seen how much Omi loosened up while we were in Tibet… those monks sure throw one hell of a party."

"Wish I could've been there." Clay said.

Saya just laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it… we'll be having our own _party_ tonight." she said as the lights dimmed and the movie started.

After the movie, they headed into town for something to eat. Before leaving, however, they witnessed Jessie and her date kissing outside of the theater and couldn't help but laugh. What was there not to laugh about? Jessie was the leader of a biker gang, so the sight of her and some guy making out like any couple was a novelty.

They went to a local diner, ate quickly, and spent a few hours just talking after that. "So, long story short, Omi and aren't aloud within a kilometer of Bangkok. We're pretty much avoiding Thailand anyway."

"Wow… and to think all I've been doing is school, football, and working on the ranch." Clay said, folding his arms. "I can't believe how boring life is now. Without the temple, Master Fung, you and the others… I'm bored out of my skull!"

"Take it easy, big guy." Saya said. "Remember, Chase, Wuya, and Hannibal, not to mention Jack and all the other crackpots are still out there, no doubt back to their villainous ways. The world's going to need heroes soon enough, and when it does…"

"Then the eight of us will be there to show them jackasses who's boss." Clay finished for her.

"Right." Saya agreed. "But until then, we're taking a well deserved vacation. Take it easy and enjoy yourself."

"What part of school, football, and ranch work don't you get?" Clay asked rolling his eyes.

"Hm… good point." Saya agreed. "Well, think of it this way." She left some money on the table to pay their bill and then got up, grabbing Clay's arm and pulling him out the door. As soon as they were out the door, she pulled him into a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, she finished what she wanted to say. "Thank your lucky stars that you're getting laid tonight." she said bluntly. "I'm guessing that you have somewhere outside of your house for us to sleep, right?"

"Set up a tent near the river last night." Clay explained.

"Good."

With that the got back into Clay's Truck and made their way out of town. As they drove off, Jessie and her date flew passed them on her bike with a loud "Woo-hoo!" After that, Clay turned on the radio and, strangely, the same song as earlier was playing, about half done already. On an impulse, they both started singing along.

"Shot of tequila. Beer on tap. Good looking' woman, to sit on my lap. G with an O. O with a D. T with an I. An M with an E, that spells good time! A good time… Oh, I've been working' all week and I'm tired and I don't wanna sleep, I wanna have fun. Time for a good time!"

~LOCATION UNKNOWN~

Nina smiled as she watched a small bird fly overhead, then went back to flipping through the pages of her magazine. After the final battle with Pride, she and Jack had returned to his home and did what repairs they could do on their own on the house. At the moment Nina was sitting in a chair on the back porch reading a magazine she'd found lying around. She was content with just sitting there for as long as she could, until she heard a soft groan coming from inside. She sighed, but smiled and went inside to check on Jack. "Jack? You awake, honey?"

"Barely…" she heard him mumble from the couch.

The redhead went over to and kneeled next to him, running her fingers through his hair. "How're you feeling?" she asked.

"Like I just had a chunk of metal attached to my nerves in order to have it replace my leg." Jack choked, almost sounding like he was trying to laugh.

"Sounds about right." Nina said, looking down to the shape of Jacks new, mechanical leg underneath the blanket. "Just consider yourself lucky I understood everything you taught me about this stuff… otherwise you might've ended up needing more metal and having less flesh and blood."

"Don't joke about that." Jack choked, again sounding like he was trying to laugh. "I don't plan on needing anymore metal parts, thank you."

Nina laughed. "Lucky me." Jack smiled and shook his head. "I'll get you some water." Nina offered, getting up and heading for the kitchen.

"How about pain killers and sleeping pills instead." Jack suggested, joking of course. Nina just shook her head and got a glass from the cupboard, filling it from the sink.

Jack was still going to be pretty weak for the next few days, probably not even able to walk. He'd be fine eventually, able to do everything he used to do and then some, so long as he did proper maintenance on his arm and leg regularly. He'd defiantly go back to being the same old Jack Spicer… though Nina hoped he'd drop the whole evil thing for something more productive.

Jack drank his water quickly and it seemed to help him a lot. He could still barely move, but he could speak clearly and keep his eyes open at the least. Pleased with this, Nina decided to sit at the other end of the couch and watch TV with him, rather than going back outside. They sat there quietly for about a half an hour, flipping channels, before Jack finally spoke up. "Say, Nina, I've been thinking…"

"There's a first." Nina said, cutting him off.

"Not funny."

"Yes it was."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I was just wondering… What is it about me you like so much?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"I'm mean… well… there's so many ways to say this, but to put it in the simplest way I can, I'm comedy relief.

Nina laughed and then thought over the question. "Well, I guess when we first met, when I was the Sin of Sloth, I saw that you were diligent, hark working, unwilling to give up… and happy. You were everything I wasn't at the time, but also everything I wanted to be. After that, once I gave up that life, I got to know the real you and… I just love you. What more is there too it?"

Jack shrugged as best as he could. "Good enough for me."

"Good." Nina said. "Now hurry up and get back on your feet. You need to test out that new leg before its rusts off."

~HAWAII~

It was a beautiful day on the beaches of Hawaii. Surfers were out riding the waves, lovely women in bikinis were sunbathing, tourists were walking around in their goofy shirts taking pictures… and Dojo the dragon had found a secluded spot on the beach for himself to relax. "Ah…" he sighed. "This is the life… now if only there were some ladies here to keep me company."

As if a gift from the gods, two more dragons swooped down at that moment and shrank to match Dojo's size. One was pink, the other yellow… and both were girl. "Hey, hot stuff." the yellow one said.

"What's your name?" the pink one asked.

Dojo just grinned, slithered over, and put his arms around both of their shoulders. "The name's Jo… Dojo."

* * *

(a/n) there it is, the epilogue and finally chapter. I originally planned for a second epilogue that could possibly lead into another installment of this series, but decided against it because I still have yet to decide if Im continuing this. anyway, I hope youve enjoyed my trilogy, I look forward to the reviews, and I hope you continue reading my other works now that this is over.

before I go, Id like to thank Janey1097 and xxFireWarriorxx for following this trilogy from the begining and reviewing almost every chapter as well as ktd123 who did almost as well as they did, but seemed to have disappeared after chapter 13. Id also thank anyone else who reviews, or even read my story... but there are so many of you that I cant name you all. so basically, thanks to anyone who read even one chapter of this trilogy and enjoyed it. and before I go to work on whatever I feel like next... **ROCK ON!!!**


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